Last Wednesday the Alliance for Aging Research released the 7th volume of The Silver Book series. This latest volume focuses on vision loss and was released in partnership with the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) during their Decade of Vision: 2010-2020. This is the second vision loss volume and includes updated data on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma—which along with cataract are the eye diseases that disproportionately impact older Americans. This new volume also highlights the exciting changes and discoveries in vision research and treatment from the past five years.
The Silver Book: Vision Loss was released during a World Glaucoma Week Congressional Briefing. At the briefing, Alliance President & CEO Dan Perry noted that this edition contains 150 new facts and statistics from 80 different sources—“a testimony to the progress of research that there are already enough new data to warrant an update since the initial vision loss edition was released in September 2007.”
Dr. Arthur Sit, S.M., M.D., Associate Professor at the Mayo Clinic, spoke on the impact of glaucoma which is the second leading cause of preventable vision loss in the U.S. Patient advocate Jerry Duvall shared what it’s like to live with glaucoma.
This latest volume joins the others in bringing the latest data on the burden of chronic disease and the value of innovation to the fingertips of those shaping policy. Especially important as our nation faces a silver tsunami of chronic disease and disability caused by the aging of our nation. 10,000 Americans will turn 65 each day between now and 2029. With the average 75-year-old facing three chronic conditions, we need to be thinking about investments in healthcare innovation rather than short-term cost-cutting. There are currently more than 2,000 facts and statistics from 600 sources on-line at www.silverbook.org that underscore that point.
