Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and the number one cause of poor vision in the U.S.
 

Cataracts are extremely common; more than half of Americans age 65 and older have a cataract, and it is thought that nearly everyone will develop one if they live long enough.
 

The total number of persons who will have cataracts is estimated to rise to over 30 million by 2020.
 

In over 90 percent of cases, cataracts are caused by the aging process.
 

Women have a significantly higher age-adjusted prevalence of cataract than men in the United States.
 

During middle age, usually beginning in their 40s, people experience blurred vision at near points (known as presbyopia), such as when reading, sewing or working at the computer.
 

Currently an estimated 90 million people in the United States either have presbyopia or will develop it by 2014.
 

135 million American adults wear prescription eyewear. This is 62 percent of the adult population (43 percent are men and 57 percent are women).
 

More than one million Americans age 40 and over are blind from eye disease.  An additional 2.3 million Americans are visually impaired.
 

About 120 million Americans wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.