The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada: Summary Report - CNIB

Profile of Vision LossVision loss is widespread – and often overlooked in Canada.• In Canada, vision loss is usually defined as a visual acuity of less than 20/40 inthe better-seeing eye, even with corrective lenses. Blindness (a subset of visionloss) is defined as 20/200 or worse in the better-seeing eye, even with correctivelenses, or a visual field of less than 20 degrees in the horizontal plane.Every 12 minutes in Canada, someone develops vision loss.• More than 817,000 Canadians are currently living with vision loss. In addition,3.43 million other Canadians live with some form of AMD, diabetic retinopathy,glaucoma or cataracts. They may not have vision loss yet, but if left untreated,most of these people are at high risk.• Vision loss affects women slightly more than men, reflecting greater longevity infemales.• After age 40, the number of cases of vision loss doubles approximately everydecade. At 75, it triples.The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada: Summary Report9