White paper: Utilization, appropriate care, and quality of life for patients with cataracts.

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and remains an important cause of blindness and visual impairment in the United States, accounting for approximately 50% of low vision cases in adults over age 40. Cataract is the leading cause of treatable blindness among Americans of African descent age 40 and older and is the leading cause of low vision among Americans of African, Hispanic/Latino, and European descent. The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group estimated that the number of individuals with cataract will increase by 50% by 2020, based on United States (US) Census population estimates.