News Briefs

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A study published May 19, 2016, in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests that vision impairment and blindness among U.S. adults ages 40 or older will double in the next 35 years, mostly because of an aging population. Researchers looked at information about adult vision impairment and blindness in six large studies, then used census data and population projections to estimate how many people would have vision problems in the future. Researchers say that by 2050, two million people will be legally blind, about 16 million will have vision problems that can be corrected, and about seven million will have vision problems that can’t be corrected to 20/20 vision. Best advice: get a comprehensive, dilated eye exam every one or two years if you’re 65 or older, every one to three years if you’re age 55 to 64, and every two to four years if you’re 40 to 54. An increased risk for eye conditions may require more frequent eye exams.