You've heard it all before. Low vision is a vastly underserved market. And, as the population ages, the need for low vision services will increase even more.

But, just how great is that need? Two recent surveys go a long way toward answering that question.

One, the Lighthouse National Survey on Vision Loss, was conducted for The Lighthouse Inc. by Louis Harris and Associates, and provides an invaluable look into the challenges facing older Americans.

The second is a report that was coordinated by the National Eye Institute (NEI) and released in April by the National Eye Health Education Program. It details plans for a low vision public education program. The report also includes a lot of overview information about the breadth of the low vision market.. and the need to educate consumers and low vision patients about their options.

Here, then, is a look at some of the hard numbers brought to light in these two studies. Take these numbers and try plugging some of them into your own practice. Are there practice building opportunities within low vision? You bet.

And here are the numbers to prove it.

THE AGE CORRELATION

One out of every six adults over the age of 45 is defined as vision-impaired. Move up the age scale to 75-year-olds, and that number increases to one out of four. Many of these individuals had been your patients--until, that is, they were told by you or another eyecare professional that nothing else could be done.

The fact is that something can be done. And, getting those individuals back into your practice--or at least referring them to someone who can help--is not difficult because chances are their fully sighted family members or caretakers still are your patients.

In fact, 16 percent of those surveyed for The Lighthouse report having a family member who is visually impaired, and another 31 percent say they know someone who suffers from low vision.

Many healthcare professionals lump the partially sighted into the category of the blind. In fact, most of these individuals have some remaining vision. And, it's the challenge of the eyecare provider to create a program that combines rehabilitation and assistive technology.

Not only is there a need for low vision programs, there is also profound fear of losing one's vision. Of all disabling conditions, the only one feared more than blindness is mental illness.

Seven out of 10 people surveyed report fearing blindness more than deafness, more than being confined to a wheelchair, more than losing a limb.

PATIENT PROFILE

Are certain portions of the population in general--and your patient base in particular--more likely to become vision impaired than others?

As the Lighthouse study points out, "Although vision impairment cuts across all social and economic strata, specific groups of Americans are at greater risk. In general, vision impairment is more prevalent among people who have fewer social and economic resources."

They are most likely to be:

• Women
• Unmarried
• Poor
• Living alone
• Not a high school graduate
• In fair or poor health
• Non-white

Ethnicity does, report NEI findings, play a larger role than once understood.

"Demographically, low vision affects African Americans older than 65 at a rate of 105.9 per thousand, compared with 71.7 per thousand for non-Hispanic whites. And," continues the report, "as the U.S. racial/ethnic composition continues to diversify, the issues related to low vision will also continue to grow."

Given this profile of the visually impaired, it's not surprising that many prospective low vision patients aren't aware of their options for care. Neither is the population at large.

The Lighthouse does, in fact, report that 35 percent of middle aged and older Americans aren't aware of any services in their community for people with vision impairments. And more than 40 percent of those over age 64--as well as those who themselves actually suffer from severe impairments--also say there are no vision rehabilitation services in their communities.

That, of course, is not generally the case. But it goes to show just how badly the vision care community has failed in getting the message out.

THE PATIENT MINDSET

Though the typical low vision patient is often portrayed as someone who's clinically de-pressed, 92 percent of those surveyed by the Lighthouse consider themselves as having adapted either very well or somewhat well to their condition.

Nonetheless, states the NEI report, in 1992 "Association of American Retired Persons (AARP) reported that older persons with visual impairments were often socially isolated, depressed, and dependent on others."

Maybe so, but most patients' complaints are very task specific. For example:

• Reading. The biggest barrier, report a quarter of those surveyed, is their inability to read regular size print.
• Hobbies. Thirty-eight percent report frustration with participating in their preferred leisure activities.
• Tasks. One quarter report problems with even the simple household tasks.
• Mobility. Nearly one in five cites difficulty in going outside the home.

What about problems on the job? Though more than half of visually impaired Americans work, one out of three of those who are employed say their vision challenges make it difficult at work. And, partly because of those problems, nearly half the nation's vision impaired persons report that income is either a "very" or a "somewhat" serious problem.

Much of what these individuals find difficulty in handling can be helped through a combination of assistive technology and rehabilitative training.

Low vision isn't correctable, but healthcare providers can help these individuals regain some independence and, just as important, regain their dignity.

The real problem isn't the absence of available assistance or the lack of expertise. The real problem is the lack of information. As the two studies cited here suggest, low vision patients and their families simply do not know that there is help, and that something can be done.

That's where you come in.

Whether you choose to become involved in low vision is up to you. Getting help for people--whether it's your patient, their significant other or just a friend--shouldn't be optional. That should be the responsibility of everyone who calls him or herself part of the vision care community.EB