About 1.64 million people in Japan have visual impairments caused by glaucoma, diabetic retinopathia and other diseases, at an estimated cost to society of nearly ¥8.7 trillion, according to the Japan Ophthalmologists Association.
An official of the association said, "We hope the analysis (said to be the first of its kind in Japan) will become the basis to consider the influence of health impairments on society."
The estimate was made jointly with the University of Melbourne and used U.S. sight-related standards.