VEHSS composite prevalence estimates for visual acuity loss and major eye diseases from 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vision & Eye Health Surveillance System generated these estimates using a Bayesian meta-analytic modeling approach. Estimates are provided at national, state, and county levels, broken down by age, race, and sex.
Use Cases
- Analyze trends in `Data_Value` for `Subgroup='Any vision loss'` across different `YearStart` values to track national vision impairment rates.
- Compare `Data_Value` for `Category='Age Related Macular Degeneration'` between `Sex` groups and `RaceEthnicity` categories to identify demographic disparities.
- Model county-level prevalence (`GeographicLevel='County'`) of `Category='Diabetic Eye Diseases'` using `Age` and `RaceEthnicityID` as predictors.
- Assess the burden of `Subgroup='Vision threatening DR'` versus `'Non-vision threatening DR'` across states using `LocationDesc` and `Data_Value_Type`.
Strengths
- Estimates are modeled for multiple years (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) providing temporal points for analysis.
- Data includes granular breakdowns by `Category`, `Subgroup`, `Age`, `Sex`, and `RaceEthnicity`.
- Coverage spans three `GeographicLevel` values: national, state, and county.
Limitations
- Data consists of modeled estimates, not raw patient records, limiting analysis to the underlying model's assumptions.
- Sample size or raw record counts used to generate estimates are unknown, preventing assessment of underlying data robustness.
- Estimates are only available for specific, non-consecutive years, limiting continuous time-series analysis.
Provenance
- Source
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vision & Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS) via data.cdc.gov.
- Collection Method
- Generated using a Bayesian meta-analytic modeling approach that combines information from multiple data sources.
- Time Range
- 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022
- Freshness
- Dataset was last updated on 2025-05-15.
- Geography
- United States, at national, state, and county levels.