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`Vision Health Initiative (VHI)
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`Vision Loss: A Public Health Problem
`Saaddine, Venkat Narayan &Vinicor (2003)posed five criteria that define whethervision loss is a public health problem. They are:
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`1. Doesvision loss affect a lot of people?
`Yes. More than 3.4 million Americans aged 40 years and olderare blind (having a visual aculty of20/200 or less or a visual field on20 degrees orless) or visually impaired (having a visua aculty of 20/40 or less). Other estimates of“Vision problems” range as
`highas 21 million, and a total of80 million Americans have potentially blindingeye diseases. The major causes of vision loss are cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
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`2. Doesvision loss contribute a large burden in terms of morbidity, quality oflife, and cost?
`Yes. People withvision loss are morelikely to report depression, diabetes, hearing impairment, stroke,falls, cognitive decline, and premature death. Decreased abilityto see often leadsto the inability to drive, read, keep accounts, and travel in unfamiliar
`places, thus substantiallycompromising quality of life. The cost ofvision loss, includingdirectcosts and lost productiMity,is estimated toexceed $35 billion(Rein, Zhang, Wirth, et al., 2006)
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`3. Has vision loss recently increased and will it increase in the future?
`Yes. As the populationof older people continues to accelerate, the numberof people experiencing vision loss will continue to increase. And as the population of people experiencing diabetes increases, consequent increases will occur in diabetic retinopathy
`and othereye diseases. Prevent BlindnessAmerica estimates that the population of people experiencing blindness and visual impairment wall double by 2030 unless corrective actions are taken.
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`4. Is vision loss perceived to be a threat by the public?
`Yes. Vision loss ranks among the top ten causes of disability in the United States, and it is a condition feared bymany.
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`5. Is it feasible to act on vision loss at a community or public health level?
`Yes. Scientific evidence shows that earlydetection and treatment can prevent much bilindness andvisionimpairment. Efficacious and cost-effective strategies to detect and treat diabetic retinopathy are available, but among people with diabetes, screening
`is received onlyby about two-thirds of personsforwhom the exam Is recommended and varies significantly across health care settings. Cataract removal surgery can restore vision, and this surgery Is cost effective; however, among African Americans,
`unoperated senile cataracts remain a major cause of blindness. Glaucoma can be controlled, and vision lossstopped byearly detectionand treatment. Nevertheless, half the people with glaucoma are not diagnosed, and glaucoma Is stil the number one
`blinding disease among African Americans.
`Public health serves toaddress each of these questions byconducting population-based investigations to determine the population, characteristics, circumstances, and trends of vision loss, as well as developing and implementingevidence based, cost-
`effective interventions to assure access tovision care and health behaviors to prevent the onset of vision loss and to improve the health and qualityof lifefor those who havelost vision.
`Last Rewewedt December 19,2022
`Source: Division ofDiabetes Translation, NationalCenterforChronic Disease Prevertion and HeaithPrmeation
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`IPR2023-00884
`Samsung etal. v. Regeneron
`Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Exhibit2150
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