A new study finds Hawaii has the best eye health in America and West Virginia has the worst.
Seven of the 10 best states for eye health are out west and nine of the 10 worst are down south. The 10 best states are Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, New York, Utah, Maryland, Colorado and Alaska. The 10 worst states are West Virginia, Kentucky, D.C., Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and South Carolina.
According to the CDC, an unprecedented 12 million Americans are visually impaired and while genetics play a huge role, it is only half the story. According to the World Health Organization, half of the 2.2 billion people with visual impairment could have been prevented through lifestyle habits – such as smoking and diet — and access to medical care.
RX-Safety released a study on the Best & Worst States for Eye Health after analyzing seven key factors in all 50 states and D.C. using the most recent data from the CDC, KFF and BLS. A few key findings in No. 1 Hawaii show 2.09% of residents have below 20/32 vision, 62.7% have vision coverage, 12.8% smoke and there are 4,966 residents per optometrist.
Read the full article from RX Safety here.
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