Vision loss can have a devastating impact on thousands of lives

Woman looking through fringe

Vision loss can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. Not only those experiencing vision loss, but those who love and care about them.

People with vision loss are:
  • far less likely to be employed[1]

  • three times as likely to experience clinical depression[2]

  • twice as likely to fall and four times as likely to suffer hip fractures[3]


[1] Disability, education and the labour market: A longitudinal portrait for New Zealand – AUT January 2016

[2] Rovner B, Ganguli M. Depression and disability associated with impaired vision: the MoVies Project. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1998;46:617-9.

[3] Klein BEK, Moss SE, Klein R et al. Associations of visual function with physical outcomes and limitations 5 years later in an older population. The Beaver Dam Eye Study. Ophthalmol 2003;110:644-650 Klein BEK, Klein R, Lee KE et al. Performance-based and self-assessed measures of visual function as related to history of falls, hip fractures and measured gait time. The Beaver Dam Eye Study. Ophthalmol 1998; 105:160-164


Eye Health Aotearoa's 8 Point Plan to address the impact of vision loss