Severe Visual Impairment in the United States and in Each State, 1990

The need for data on the prevalence of visual impairment, both in the United States and in each state, has become increasingly urgent. Estimates of prevalence help state and national blindness organizations to plan services realistically, as well as to document the need for federal funding of services. As Bowe (1990b, p. 21) said, however, "much social legislation now is being enacted on the State level, due to the inability of the Federal Government to fund many new programs." Now more than ever, policymakers and administrators need up-to-date estimates to assess the need for services geared to specific age groups in their states. To help close the information gap, this article begins a series of statistical briefs on the prevalence of vision problems in the United States. It presents estimates of the prevalence of severe visual impairment in the nation as a whole and in each state in 1990. To use the data appropriately, readers should keep in mind important background information. Therefore, before presenting the results, this article discusses definitions and coverage issues, the need for new prevalence data on severe visual impairment, and the basis for the estimates.