About 3 million Israelis wear glasses or contact lenses
On the occasion of the day of awareness and identification with the public the blind And the visually impaired in Israel, which will apply on 6/6, data on visually impaired people in Israel, from the 2017 social survey, will be published. The social survey is an annual survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics since 2002. The survey provides information on the living conditions of the Israeli population and its well-being. As part of it, about 7,300 people aged 20 and over were interviewed, representing about 5.5 million people of this age. The 2017 survey was about health and lifestyle. The data is based on the answer to the question: Do you have difficulty seeing? (even with glasses). Answer options: 1. There is no difficulty; 2. There is little difficulty; 3. There is great difficulty; 4. Can’t see at all. Those who answered 2, 3, or 4 were defined as people with some visual impairment and those who answered 3 or 4 were defined as people with severe visual impairment.
The extent of visual impairment in Israel among people aged 20 and over
55% of people aged 20 and over (about 3 million people) make up Glasses or contact lenses (including reading glasses).
15% (about 834,000 people) aged 20 and over have difficulty seeing to some extent, 17% of women and 14% of men. 13% (about 708 thousand people) have little difficulty and 2.3% (about 125 thousand people) have great difficulty or cannot see at all, even if they wear glasses (people with severe visual impairment).
The proportion of those with vision problems increases with age: 9% of those aged 20-44, 18% of those aged 64-45, 23% of those aged 65-74 and 42% of those aged 75 and over. 30% of those aged 75 and over have little difficulty and 12% have great difficulty or do not see at all. In all age groups, women have more difficulty seeing than men
education
The percentage of people without a high school diploma is greater among people with severe visual impairment in all age groups: at the age of 20-64, the percentage of people without a high school diploma among people with severe visual impairment is 50%, compared to 29% among the rest of the population. In this age group, the percentage of people with an academic certificate among people who do not Visually impairedis more than twice the percentage among people with severe visual impairment (33% vs. 14%, respectively).
employment
The percentage of employed people among the visually impaired is lower than among people who are not visually impaired, in all age groups and especially in the older ages. The percentage of employed among people with severe visual impairment aged 20-64 is 43%, compared to 76% among the rest of the population.
Attitudes towards work (at the age of 20-64)
In working age (20-64) 84% of the employed with severe visual impairment are satisfied with their job and 42% are satisfied with their income, compared to 89% and 61% respectively among the other employed.
66% of the employed with a severe visual impairment answered that they would work even if they could financially afford not to work, compared to 76% among the other employed
Social relationships, feelings and emotional states among people aged 20 and over with severe visual impairment
79% of people with severe visual impairment have relationships with friends, compared to 91% among the rest of the population.
45% are very satisfied with the relationship with their family members, compared to 60% among the rest of the population.
40% often manage to deal with their problems, compared to 69% among the rest of the population.
32% felt some kind of discrimination in the last year, compared to 26% among the rest of the population. 13% reported that they felt discriminated against due to their disability, compared to 2.5% among the rest of the population.
About a quarter (24%) feel lonely often, compared to 5% among the rest of the population.
22% feel depressed often, compared to 5% among the rest of the population
satisfaction with life
People with severe visual impairment are less satisfied with their lives and less optimistic about their future:
74% of them are satisfied with their lives, compared to 89% among the rest.
32% of them think their lives will be better in the future, compared to 54% among the rest.