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• 2.2 billion people globally with near or distance visions impairment.¹

• 32.2 million Americans, 18 or older reported experiencing vision loss.²

• 184,978 vision-impaired individuals in the stae of Virginia.³

• 46.4% of vision-impaireed individuals in VA currently employed.⁴

• The total U.S. economic burden of vision loss and blindness totalled $134.2 billion in 2022, $16.2 billion of which was due to reduced labor force participation.⁵

• Approximately 15% of vision-impaired individuals are totally blind.⁶

• The leading causes of blindness and low vision in the U.S. are age-related eye diseases (e.g. macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma).⁷

_{¹ World Health Organization (WHO), “Blindness and vision impairment” (2023).}

_{² American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), “Facts and Figures on Adults with Vision Loss” (2020).}

_{³ Ibid, “Virginia: Prevalence Rates of Vision Difficulty” (2019).}

_{⁴ Commonwealth of Virignia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired and the State Rehabilitation Council, “Comprehensive Statewide Needs Assessment Report”, p.69 (2020). ⁵ Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “The Economic Burden of Vision Loss and Blindness in the United States” (2022).}

_{⁶ Ibid AFB, “Low Vision and Legal Blindness Terms and Descriptions” (2015).}

_{⁷ Ibid CDC, “Common Eye Disorders and Diseases” (2022)}