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A Case for Literacy Screening in Glaucoma Research

Kelly W. Muir, MD; Paul P. Lee, MD, JD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(5):698-699.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The National Adult Literacy Survey of 1992 alerted educators and policymakers to a previously underrecognized problem: nearly one-fourth of the American adult population is functionally illiterate.¹ More recently, the medical community has become aware of the prevalence of inadequate health literacy, or the inability to comprehend written material in a health care setting. In 1 study involving more than 2500 patients in 2 urban hospitals, 42% of subjects could not understand written instructions for taking medication on an empty stomach.² Importantly, functional health literacy is lower in older age cohorts in the United States.³ In a sample of English-speaking adults aged 60 years and older, less than 20% demonstrated adequate health literacy skills.² The age-related decline in health literacy skills persists even when cognitive function is taken into account.³ Although educational attainment and literacy are not interchangeable, the 2 concepts are . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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