What Are Eye Diseases

What Are Eye Diseases—and Why Are Latinxs More at Risk?

Eye diseases refer to a variety of conditions that can affect how your eyes function. The most common include:

• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
• Refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
  

And Latinx adults are more likely to develop vision-threatening conditions and less likely to receive treatment. According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), nearly 20% of U.S. Latinx adults over age 40 have some form of vision impairment or eye disease. 

Why the disparity? Several reasons:

• Higher rates of diabetes, which increases the risk of diabetic eye disease
• Less access to preventive care and affordable vision screenings
• Language and cultural barriers in healthcare settings
• Myths like “If you can see, your eyes must be healthy”—spoiler: not true