Blindness Statistics

Prevalence:

Number of legally blind persons in this country: 1.3 million
(National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey - Disability Supplement, 1994 and 1995)

Number of blind school age children: 93,600
(based on NPTP survey: Kirchner & Diament, 1999a)
updated: October 2002

Above number includes deaf-blind school age children: 10,800
(based on the Deafblind Census: Baldwin & Hembree, 1998)
updated: October 2002

Number of blind seniors, 65 and over (3.5% of the population 65 and over): 787,691
(AFB Sept./Oct. JVIB & Chiang, et al., 1992, Milbank Quarterly)

Projected number of seniors who will be blind:
Year 2015: 1.6 million
Year 2030: 2.4 million
(Based on using Chiang's % of the general population who were blind as of 1990 and using general population estimates from the U.S. Census)

Employment:

Number of working age legally blind adults who are employed: Approximately 30%
(National Center for Health Statistics, 1998 National Health Interview Survey - Disability Supplement, 1994 and 1995)

Cost of blindness:

Estimated annual costs of blindness to the federal government: $4 billion
(Prevent Blindness America, 1994)

Cost of a lifetime of support and unpaid taxes for one blind person: $916,000
(Figured using SSI & SSDI average payments and unpaid tax estimates)