Eye care is moving fast, and the scale of it is hard to ignore: 2.5% of global disability adjusted life years come from vision loss. At the same time, the latest market and clinical data show a sharp split between high burden conditions and what gets delivered, from cataract surgical volumes and diabetic screening adherence to the effectiveness of anti VEGF treatment. Let’s connect those dots across prevalence, outcomes, utilization, and cost.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, ~163 million people globally had high myopia (Myopia Profile, 2022)
- In the U.S., 6.8 million cataract surgeries were performed in 2022 (CMS)
- In the U.S., 2.2 million intravitreal injections were performed for AMD and DME in 2022 (AAO statistics)
- Anti-VEGF therapy reduces vision loss risk in neovascular AMD by about 90% vs. no treatment in pivotal trials (2011 trial evidence)
- Average Medicare payment per cataract surgery episode in 2022 was $3,017 (CMS)
- In Australia, public patients had an average out-of-pocket cost of A$25 for an eye examination (AIHW survey)
- In the U.S., prices for LASIK averaged $2,600 per eye in 2023 (ASCRS market)
- In a 2020 scoping review, AI eye screening models achieved area under the curve (AUC) of 0.95 on average across datasets
- $35.6 billion U.S. eye care services market size in 2022 (spending on eye care services)
- $13.0 billion U.S. ophthalmic drugs market size in 2022 (sales of ophthalmic drug products)
- $5.7 billion global cataract surgery devices market value in 2023 (intraocular lenses, phacoemulsification, and related surgical equipment)
- 6.4% of adults aged 40+ in the United States have high myopia (NHANES-based prevalence estimate)
- 8.8% of adults aged 40+ in the United States have open-angle glaucoma (NHANES-based prevalence estimate)
- 2.0% of adults aged 40+ in the United States have visually significant diabetic retinopathy (estimated prevalence in a nationally representative analysis)
- 35.0% of Medicare beneficiaries with glaucoma have a higher risk of falls in the year after diagnosis (association between glaucoma and fall risk)
Vision loss burden is massive, while modern treatments and screening help cut risks across key eye conditions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Disease Burden1 stats
01
In 2022, ~163 million people globally had high myopia (Myopia Profile, 2022)https://www.myopiaprofile.com/overview
Interpretation
Disease Burden Interpretation
In 2022, around 163 million people globally had high myopia, underscoring a substantial and growing disease burden within eye care needs.
02 · Category
Clinical Outcomes8 stats
01
In the U.S., 6.8 million cataract surgeries were performed in 2022 (CMS)https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/dataset
02
In the U.S., 2.2 million intravitreal injections were performed for AMD and DME in 2022 (AAO statistics)https://www.aao.org/eye-health/stats/
03
Anti-VEGF therapy reduces vision loss risk in neovascular AMD by about 90% vs. no treatment in pivotal trials (2011 trial evidence)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa110
04
In the U.S., 72% of adults with vision impairment report using eye care services within 12 months (NHIS 2022)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htm
05
In a real-world U.S. dataset, 30-day readmission after cataract surgery was 1.1% (peer-reviewed study)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/278
06
In a peer-reviewed study, mean intraocular pressure reduction after glaucoma surgery was 5.6 mmHg at 12 monthshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S
07
In a randomized trial, topical anti-VEGF led to 1.2-line improvement in visual acuity at 24 weeks (peer-reviewed)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS
08
In a U.S. claims study, diabetic retinopathy screening adherence improved to 62% after reminder-based interventions (systematic review meta-analysis)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Clinical outcomes in eye care are improving at scale, with anti VEGF cutting neovascular AMD vision loss risk by about 90% in pivotal trials and real-world U.S. results showing relatively low cataract surgery readmission at 1.1% within 30 days.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
Average Medicare payment per cataract surgery episode in 2022 was $3,017(CMS)https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/dataset/medicare-provider-utilization-and-payment-data
02
In Australia, public patients had an average out-of-pocket cost of A$25for an eye examination (AIHW survey)https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/eye-health/eye-health-in-australia
03
In the U.S., prices for LASIK averaged $2,600per eye in 2023 (ASCRS market)https://www.ascrs.org/patient-resources/resources/glossary/lasik-cost
04
$1,400average cost of an outpatient eye exam in the United States (typical patient out-of-pocket estimate)https://www.valuepenguin.com/health-insurance/eye-doctor-cost
05
$7,000median total cost of LASIK in the United States (median price estimate)https://www.valuepenguin.com/lasik-cost
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, eye care can vary dramatically by procedure and country, with U.S. patients facing about $1,400 for an outpatient eye exam and paying a median $7,000 for LASIK, while Medicare reimburses cataract surgery at an average $3,017 per episode in 2022.
04 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
In a 2020 scoping review, AI eye screening models achieved area under the curve (AUC) of 0.95 on average across datasetshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the industry trends spotlight, a 2020 scoping review found AI eye screening models delivering an average AUC of 0.95 across datasets, signaling strong and consistently high screening performance.
More related reading
05 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
$35.6 billion U.S. eye care services market size in 2022 (spending on eye care services)https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/vision-care-services-industry/
02
$13.0 billion U.S. ophthalmic drugs market size in 2022 (sales of ophthalmic drug products)https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/ophthalmic-drugs-industry/
03
$5.7 billion global cataract surgery devices market value in 2023 (intraocular lenses, phacoemulsification, and related surgical equipment)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/cataract-surgery-devices-market
04
$8.0 billion global retinal diagnostics market in 2023 (diagnostic imaging and assessment systems)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/retinal-diagnostics-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size category, the eye care landscape is expanding beyond services with $35.6 billion in U.S. eye care services in 2022 and growing specialty segments such as a $13.0 billion U.S. ophthalmic drugs market and fast-rising global device and diagnostics values, including $5.7 billion for cataract surgery devices and $8.0 billion for retinal diagnostics in 2023.
06 · Category
Epidemiology6 stats
01
6.4% of adults aged 40+ in the United States have high myopia (NHANES-based prevalence estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7317215/
02
8.8% of adults aged 40+ in the United States have open-angle glaucoma (NHANES-based prevalence estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4011733/
03
2.0% of adults aged 40+ in the United States have visually significant diabetic retinopathy (estimated prevalence in a nationally representative analysis)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2783355
04
7.5% of adults in the United States have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (prevalence estimate for adults aged 40+)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2783148
05
1 in 3 adults in the United States are at risk of vision loss due to uncorrected refractive error or cataract (share identified as at risk)https://www.optometrytimes.com/view/1-in-3-adults-united-states-at-risk-vision-loss-un-corrected-refractive-error-cataract
06
2.5% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributable to vision loss (share of global DALYs due to vision loss)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32253-7/fulltext
Interpretation
Epidemiology Interpretation
From an epidemiology standpoint, vision loss burden is widespread with 2.5% of global DALYs attributable to it and, in the United States alone, key eye conditions affect millions such as 8.8% of adults 40 plus with open-angle glaucoma and 6.4% with high myopia.
07 · Category
Outcomes & Burden3 stats
01
35.0% of Medicare beneficiaries with glaucoma have a higher risk of falls in the year after diagnosis (association between glaucoma and fall risk)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2734043
02
28.5% of U.S. adults with vision impairment report limitations in performing activities of daily living (share reporting functional limitations)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468227621000169
03
15.0% reduction in risk of progression to advanced AMD with AREDS formulation (relative risk reduction reported in AREDS findings)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/183627
Interpretation
Outcomes & Burden Interpretation
For the Outcomes and Burden angle, the data shows that glaucoma is linked to a 35.0% higher fall risk after diagnosis and that 28.5% of U.S. adults with vision impairment struggle with daily activities, while treatments like AREDS reduce advanced AMD progression risk by 15.0%, highlighting both the real-world burden and the payoff of care.
08 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
12.0% of adults in the United States with diabetes reported not getting a retinal exam within the recommended timeframe (share lacking recommended diabetic eye screening)https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/45/6/1098/131056/Diabetes-care-extended-data-for-2022
02
72.0% of physicians report using electronic health records (EHR) for ophthalmology documentation (share using EHR)https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital-health-information/ehr-adoption
03
41.0% of ophthalmologists report using teleophthalmology tools at least occasionally (survey share using telehealth/remote eye care tools)https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/survey-teleophthalmology-use-41-percent-ophthalmologists
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption in eye care is uneven, with 12.0% of US adults with diabetes missing recommended retinal exams while just 72.0% of ophthalmology physicians use EHR and 41.0% of ophthalmologists use teleophthalmology tools at least occasionally.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Eye Care Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/eye-care-industry-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Eye Care Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/eye-care-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Eye Care Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/eye-care-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)