Go to previous page:  What is Vision Impairment, How Common Is It, Causes & Prevention, Economic Impact

What resources are available for people with vision impairment and their families?

CDC does not study education or treatment programs for people with vision impairment, nor does it provide direct services to people with vision impairment or to their families. However, CDC has put together a list of resources for people affected by vision impairment or other developmental disabilities. [Go to the resources list]

How can we improve the health of people with vision impairment?

People with vision impairment can live healthy lives. There are many federal and federally-funded programs that help people learn to live well with vision impairment or other developmental disabilities. CDC has put together a list of some of these efforts. [Read more about health improvement programs]

How can kids learn about vision impairment?

We have created a series of Kids' Quests designed to get kids to think about people with disabilities and some of the issues related to participation in daily activities, health, and accessibility. The Quests were written for children in 4th through 6th grades, but can be modified by teachers or parents for use with children of other ages and abilities. Each Quest takes kids through a series of steps that encourage them to use the Internet to learn about a disability and the effect it has on a child's life.  One of the Kids' Quests is about people who have vision problems.  [Go to the vision impairment Kids' Quest]

Where can I go to learn more about vision impairment?

National Information Center on Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)
NICHCY provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, teachers, and other professionals. NICHCY has a fact sheet about vision impairment that includes information on topics such as characteristics of children with vision impairment, the impact of vision impairment on a child's education, and resources. The fact sheet is available in both English and Spanish.  NICHCY staff will also give information and referrals over the phone (800-695-0285) or by email (nichcy@aed.org). 
[In English:  General Information about Vision Impairment]
[En Español: Impedimentos Visuales] 

MEDLINEplus: Eyes and Vision; Vision Disorders and Blindness
MEDLINEplus is an online service of the National Library of Medicine that is designed to link users to information on specific health topics, including eye problems and vision impairment.  MEDLINEplus brings together information from many sources and is updated every day. The site includes information on the latest news, general overviews, anatomy and physiology, clinical trials, coping, diagnosis and symptoms, prevention and screening, rehabilitation, research, specific conditions, treatment, law and policy, resources, organizations, children, and seniors.  Some of the materials are in Spanish.
[In  English:  Eyes and Vision Topics  |  Vision Disorders & Blindness]
[En Español: Ojos y Visión  |  Problemas con la Visión y Ceguera]

National Eye Institute (NEI)
NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health, a government medical research center.  NEI's Web site includes information about eye diseases and vision disorders, eye-related research projects, and a list of U.S. government agencies that offer information about eye-related topics. Some of the information is available in Spanish.  [Go to NEI Web site] [View list of U.S. government sources]  [Información en Español]

NCBDDD (NCBDDD) Publications
NCBDDD staff have written scientific papers on vision impairment.  These papers look at such topics as how common vision impairment is and what causes vision impairment in children.  You can see a list of these papers (starting in 1990) by using the keyword search on the NCBDDD publications Web page.  Choose "vision impairment" in the keyword box on the search page.  You can choose whether you want the list to be sorted by author or by date.  You can also choose to have the list appear with or without graphics.  Click on the Submit button.  You will see a list of papers that are about vision impairment.  The list will include the complete reference for each paper and a link to an abstract of the paper or to the full text, when available.  [Go to NCBDDD publications keyword search page]

This page was last updated August 05, 2004