Loss of Vision is Costly to Americans
Due to vision loss, American taxpayers paid over
$2 billion per year in non-eye-related medical
costs.
 Vision
robbing diseases like
Macular Degeneration,
Glaucoma
and
Diabetic Retinopathy are not just physically and
emotionally costly to their victims -- their
Medicare toll is billions of dollars per year,
according to a study done by the Potomac Institute
for Policy Studies, the
Wilmer Eye Institute, and
drug company,
Pfizer, Inc.
Patients with moderate and severe vision loss who
experience increases in depression, injuries and the
need for skilled nursing home care, incur
non-eye-related expenses that total well into the
billions of dollars annually.
Most of the cases studied were patients with eye
diseases like
glaucoma,
cataracts,
diabetic retinopathy and
macular degeneration. These conditions can
be treated. Catching these diseases at an
early stage significantly increases the success of
treatment, minimizes permanent vision loss and
reduces the financial strain on the Medicare system.
The study suggests a compelling need for
preventative eye care.
Dr. Deupree has always
been a proponent of eye disease prevention through
means of
nutrition and overall health.
Vision loss prevention is, most importantly, a
medical need, but its economic impact cannot and
should not be ignored.
Hopefully, Medicare authorities will take these
economic factors into account when making important
decisions on coverage of ophthalmologic procedures
and the new, proven drug therapies for wet macular
degeneration. |
