National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) – Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS)

VEHSS analyzed NHATS public use data to calculate the prevalence of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity loss. Data are based on NHATS round 12, which was collected in 2022. We defined subgroup thresholds based on the VEHSS case definitions for Vision Loss and Blindness.

NHATS is a health examination survey conducted on a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. Surveys are conducted each year through in-person interviews. Vision-related tests of distance acuity, near-distance acuity, and contrast sensitivity are conducted with the aid of a computer tablet. Because participants wear their usual eyewear for vision assessments, acuity estimates are based on presenting acuity.

These data are also available in the VEHSS Data Explorer, and interactive data visualization tool reporting prevalence information from more than 10 data sources: https://www.cdc.gov/vision-health-data/index.html