According to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and federal blindness organizations, it is estimated that there are approximately 1 million to 1.3 million veterans living in the United States, who are legally blind or visually impaired. Here’s a breakdown of the context and data behind these numbers.

Severe Visual Impairment:
The VA estimates that over 160,000 veterans are legally blind (having central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses, or a restricted field of vision of 20 degrees or less). 

Broader Visual Impairment:
When including veterans with lower level visual impairments (such as age related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and traumatic brain injury related vision loss) that significantly impact their daily lives, the number rises to over 1 million. 

Aging Population:
The majority of visually impaired veterans are older adults, like me. Vietnam Era and Korean War veterans make up a large percentage that suffer with age related eye diseases. However, a significant and growing number of younger veterans experience vision loss due to Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) and blast injuries sustained in post-9/11 conflicts.

The VA operates a specialized Visual Impairment Services (VIS) program and specialized Blind Rehabilitation Centers (BRCs) across the country to support this population.