Trends in Geographic Distribution of Visual Disability - United States, 2010-2019

Purpose: We aimed to describe changes in the geographic distribution of self-reported visual impairment (VI) over the last decade (2010-2019) in the U.S.Methods: Our study was an analysis of publicly available data collected between 2010 and 2019 from the Census Bureau American Community Survey.Results: The mean overall prevalence of self-reported VI from 2010 to 2019 was 2.31% in the United States, and there was a significant increase in VI over the past decade from 2.25% in 2010-2014 to 2.37% in 2015-2019 (p < .001). VI was significantly higher in rural counties (3.58%), compared to urban (3.10%) or metropolitan counties (2.18%) (p < .001). In terms of geographic region, the South of the United States had the highest rate of VI (2.63%) (p < .001). For age groups > 17-years-old in the 2010-2019 data, women had higher rates of VI compared to men.Conclusions: Prevalence of self-reported visual impairment has risen and disproportionately affects certain communities. This includes individuals living in the South, in rural counties, and women.