Latest News Worst Case Scenario? Blindness, According to New Poll By Staff Friday, October 24, 2014 12:27 AM WASHINGTON, D.C.—Blindness would have the greatest impact on day-to-day life, according to the majority of respondents in a recent poll commissioned by Research!America and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR). Blindness ranked among the top four “worst things that could happen to you” for all respondents, alongside cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and HIV/AIDS. The loss of sight was considered worse than losing memory, hearing and speech, according to this recently released report, the Attitudinal Survey of Minority Populations on Eye and Vision Health and Research. By ethnicity, a higher percentage of African-Americans (57 percent) cite this concern compared to non-Hispanic whites (49 percent), Asians (43 percent) and Hispanics (38 percent). A large majority of respondents also strongly consider research to improve the prevention and treatment of vision disorders a priority (83 percent of African-Americans and non-Hispanic whites, 80 percent of Asians and 79 percent of Hispanics). When told that the federal government spends on average $2.10 per person each year on such research, half of African-Americans (51 percent) and Hispanics (50 percent) say this is not enough followed by non-Hispanic whites (47 percent) and Asian-Americans (35 percent). A majority of all groups agree that “good eye health is important to overall health.” These and other findings are from a national public opinion poll commissioned by Research!America and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research. The poll, which was carried out by Zogby Analytics, was funded by a grant from Research to Prevent Blindness and released at a National Press Club event in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2014. Leaders from Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology played a role in both the development of the poll and the release event, which featured a panel discussion with Neil Bressler, MD, ( Wilmer Eye Institute), Paul Sieving, MD, PhD, ( National Eye Institute), James Tsai, MD, ( New York Eye and Ear Infirmary) and Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD, ( Ohio State University College of Optometry). The panel discussion was moderated by Michelle Miller of CBS News. Conducted in August 2014, the survey’s sample consisted of 925 non-Hispanic whites, 401 Hispanics, 301 Asian-Americans, and 417 African-Americans.