The vision gap is real, and it’s showing up far beyond the clinic.
Sometimes the biggest public health stories hide in plain sight, and this one is hard to ignore. A study in the American Journal of Ophthalmology* raises fresh concerns about a quiet yet significant vulnerability in the United States: children with vision impairment face a markedly higher risk of food insecurity.*
Using data from more than 153,285 children aged 0 to 17 between 2021 and 2023, researchers found that households with a visually impaired child had a 71% higher likelihood of experiencing food shortages than those without vision challenges. They also had a 77% higher chance of falling into more severe categories of food insecurity
Even after adjusting for income, race, parental education, household size and marital status, the pattern persisted, suggesting that the financial and caregiving demands related to supporting a child with vision impairment may directly impact their access to basic necessities like food.
Not just about the income
Caregivers were asked whether a child was blind or had trouble seeing even when wearing glasses, and food security was assessed with validated measures that categorize households into four levels: food secure, marginal, low and very low.
In the dataset, 1.7% of U.S. children were reported to have vision impairment. Among these households, 50% experienced some level of food insecurity, compared with 29% of households without a child with vision impairment. After socioeconomic adjustments, the association remained statistically significant. Notably, vision-impairment households had a 77% higher chance of falling into more severe tiers of food insecurity.
Consistency across subgroups
The link between childhood vision impairment and food insecurity was consistent across demographic variables. The association did not differ by household income, parental education or the child’s age.
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The takeaway
In their discussion, the authors referenced the well-established financial strain faced by families of children with disabilities. They emphasized that children with visual impairment “often incur substantial direct costs, including medical care, assistive devices, and specialized educational materials that are frequently not covered by insurance.” They also noted the indirect costs, such as reduced parental employment due to caregiving responsibilities.
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These pressures may divert resources away from essential needs like food, helping explain the elevated rates of food insecurity identified in the study.
The authors also concluded that childhood vision impairment is strongly associated with both increased likelihood and greater severity of household food insecurity, independent of socioeconomic variables. They suggested that routine food insecurity screening may be beneficial in pediatric and ophthalmic care settings, and that policies combining medical, financial and social support could better serve affected families.
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*Talaparthy T, Zumlot Y, Al-Zubi A, et al. Association of vision impairment with food insecurity in U.S. children. Am J Ophthalmol. 2025:S0002-9394(25)00610-5.
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