Americans don’t see as well as they used to. That’s the conclusion from a survey of thousands of adults. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected data on more than 9,000 people between 1999 and 2002. More than 10,000 participants were included in the study between 2005 and 2008.
Volunteers in the second group were more likely to have visual problems that could not be corrected with glasses. The risk of visual impairment due to cataracts, glaucoma or retinal problems increased 40% in Caucasians between 20 and 39 years of age. The investigators suggest that this change for the worse may be attributed to the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes.
