National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) – Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS)

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) United States Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vision & Eye Health

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
National_Health_and_Aging_Trends_Study_(NHATS)_-_Vision_and_Eye_Health_Surveilla.csv text/csv 891.5 KB 01/17/2026 06:40:AM
National_Health_and_Aging_Trends_Study_(NHATS)_-_Vision_and_Eye_Health_Surveillance_System_(VEHSS).pdf application/pdf 391.3 KB 01/16/2026 08:27:AM

Project Citation: 

United States Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Vision & Eye Health. National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) – Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS). Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-01-17. https://doi.org/10.3886/E244318V1

Project Description

Project Title:  View help for Project Title National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) – Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS)
Summary:  View help for Summary VEHSS analyzed NHATS public use data to calculate the prevalence of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity loss. Data are based on NHATS round 12, which was collected in 2022. We defined subgroup thresholds based on the VEHSS case definitions for Vision Loss and Blindness. NHATS is a health examination survey conducted on a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. Surveys are conducted each year through in-person interviews. Vision-related tests of distance acuity, near-distance acuity, and contrast sensitivity are conducted with the aid of a computer tablet. Because participants wear their usual eyewear for vision assessments, acuity estimates are based on presenting acuity. These data are also available in the VEHSS Data Explorer, and interactive data visualization tool reporting prevalence information from more than 10 data sources: https://www.cdc.gov/vision-health-data/index.html Read less
Original Distribution URL:  View help for Original Distribution URL https://data.cdc.gov/Vision-Eye-Health/National-Health-and-Aging-Trends-Study-NHATS-Visio/qktg-6dmb/about_data

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms vision; blind; aging; medicare; visual acuity
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes (Downloaded 1/16/2026)


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Published Versions

V1 [2026-01-17]

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