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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Aug;38(11):2036-2046.
doi: 10.1038/s41433-024-02995-5. Epub 2024 Apr 2.

Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by glaucoma: A meta-analysis from 2000 to 2020

Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study; GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators
Collaborators
Meta-Analysis

Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by glaucoma: A meta-analysis from 2000 to 2020

Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study et al. Eye (Lond). 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate global and regional trends from 2000 to 2020 of the number of persons visually impaired by glaucoma and their proportion of the total number of vision-impaired individuals.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published population studies and grey literature from 2000 to 2020 was carried out to estimate global and regional trends in number of people with vision loss due to glaucoma. Moderate or severe vision loss (MSVI) was defined as visual acuity of 6/60 or better but <6/18 (moderate) and visual acuity of 3/60 or better but <6/60 (severe vision loss). Blindness was defined as presenting visual acuity <3/60.

Results: Globally, in 2020, 3.61 million people were blind and nearly 4.14 million were visually impaired by glaucoma. Glaucoma accounted for 8.39% (95% uncertainty intervals [UIs]: 6.54, 10.29) of all blindness and 1.41% (95% UI: 1.10, 1.75) of all MSVI. Regionally, the highest proportion of blindness relating to glaucoma was found in high-income countries (26.12% [95% UI: 20.72, 32.09]), while the region with the highest age-standardized prevalence of glaucoma-related blindness and MSVI was Sub-Saharan Africa. Between 2000 and 2020, global age-standardized prevalence of glaucoma-related blindness among adults ≥50 years decreased by 26.06% among males (95% UI: 25.87, 26.24), and by 21.75% among females (95% UI: 21.54, 21.96), while MSVI due to glaucoma increased by 3.7% among males (95% UI: 3.42, 3.98), and by 7.3% in females (95% UI: 7.01, 7.59).

Conclusions: Within the last two decades, glaucoma has remained a major cause of blindness globally and regionally.

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Conflict of interest statement

O C Baltatu reports support for the present manuscript from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, 304224/2022-7) and Anima Institute (AI) research professor fellowship; leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid as an advisory member of the Health and Biotechnology Board at Sao Jose dos Campos Technology Park, and as an academic ambassador for Afya (UNINOVAFAPI); outside the submitted work. A Bron reports payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Thea; outside the submitted work. M Cenderadewi reports grants or contracts from James Cook University for the International Research Training Program Scholarship for their doctoral study; support for attending the Research Training Program Minimum Resource Funds to fun conference related travel from James Cook University; all outside the submitted work. X Dai reports support for the present manuscript from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (University of Washington) for their salary. A Dastiridou reports support for attending meetings/travel from Thea Laboratories and Abbvie; outside the submitted work. D S Friedman reports grants or contracts to their institution for research from Genentech; consulting fees from Abbvie, Kaliyope, Life Biosciences, Bausch and Lomb; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Thea Pharmaceuticals; support for attending meetings and travels from Thea Pharmaceuticals; leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid with Orbis International as a Member of the Board of Governors; outside the submitted work. V B Gupta reports grants or contracts from National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provided to Deakin University; outside the submitted work. V K Gupta reports grants or contracts from National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provided to Macquarie University; outside the submitted work. I Ilic reports support for the present manuscript from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological development, Republic of Serbia (project No 175042, 2011-2023). J H Kempen reports stock or stock options with Betaliq and Tarsier; outside the submitted work. K Krishan reports non-financial support from the UGC Centre of Advanced Study, CAS II, awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University (Chandigarh, India); outside the submitted work. J L Leasher reports leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, unpaid as a member of the National Eye Institute National Eye Health Education Program planning committee; outside the submitted work. J A Singh reports consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Crealta/Horizon, Medisys, Fidia, PK Med, Two labs Inc., Adept Field Solutions, Clinical Care options, Clearview healthcare partners, Putnam associates, Focus forward, Navigant consulting, Spherix, MedIQ, Jupiter Life Science, UBM LLC, Trio Health, Medscape, WebMD, Practice Point communications, and the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Rheumatology; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from the speaker’s bureau of Simply Speaking; support for attending meetings from OMERACT as a member of the steering committee; participation on an Advisory Committee with the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee; leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid as a past steering committee member of the OMERACT, an international organization that develops measures for clinical trials and receives arms length funding from 12 pharmaceutical companies, Co-Chair of the Veterans Affairs Rheumatology Field Advisory Committee, and the editor and Director of the UAB Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group Satellite Center on Network Meta-analysis; stock or stock options in Atai Life Sciences, Kintara Therapeutics, Intelligent Biosolutions, Acumen Pharmaceutical, TPT Global Tech, Vaxart Pharmaceuticals, Atyu Biopharma, Adaptimmune Therapeutics, GeoVax Labs, Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Enzolytics Inc., Seres Therapeutics, Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., and Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc, as well as previously owned stock options in Amarin, Viking and Moderna Pharmaceuticals; outside the submitted work. J D Steinmetz reports support for the present manuscript from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation IHME funding for GBD analyses. J H V Ticoalu reports other financial or non-financial interests as a co-founder of Benang Merah Research Center; outside the submitted work. A Bron reports payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Théa. M A Del Monte reports support for attending meetings and/or travel from the University of Michigan, and leadership or fiduciary roles in board, society, committee or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid as past president of Costenbader Society. D Friedman reports grants or contracts from any entity from Genentech (to the institution for research); consulting fees from Abbvie, Kaliyope, Life Biosciences and Bausch and Lomb; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Thea Pharmaceuticals; support for attending meetings and/or travel from Thea Pharmaceuticals; and leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid, from Orbis International as member of board of governors. J M Furtado reports consulting fees from Pan American Health Organization and from Lions Club International Foundation. G Gazzard reports consulting fees from Alcon Laboratories, Inc; Allergan, Inc; BELKIN Vision LTD; Carl Zeiss Meditec; Elios; Genentech/Roche; Reichert; Théa and ViaLase; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Alcon Laboratories, Inc; BELKIN Vision Ltd; Carl Zeiss Meditec; Elios and Ellex; participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board with Alcon Laboratories, Inc; Allergan, Inc; BELKIN Vision Ltd; Carl Zeiss Meditec; Elios and Visufarma; and leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid with Glaucoma UK Medical Advisory Board and UK&Eire Glaucoma Society as president. M E Hartnett reports support for the present manuscript (e.g., funding, provision of study materials, medical writing, article processing charges, etc.) from Michael F. Marmor, M.D. Professor of Retinal Science and Disease as endowment to support salary; grants or contracts from any entity (from National Eye Institute R01 EY017011 and National Eye Institute R01 EY015130) as partial salary support; patents planned, issued or pending (WO2015123561A2 and WO2021062169A1); and leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid with Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation and as director of Women’s Eye Health and Macular Society Grant Review Chair. J H Kempen reports stock or stock options with Betaliq ($25,000 buy in, starup company developing IOP-lowering eyedrop) and Tarsier ($50,000 buy in, startup company developing anti-inflammatory eyedrop). J E Kim reports consulting fees from Genentech/Roche, DORC, Notal Vision and Outlook Therapeutics (all as payment to J E Kim); participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board with Allergan, Amgen, Apellis, Bausch&Lomb, Clearside, Coherus, Novartis and Regeneron (all as participation on advisory board); leadership or fiduciary role in other borad, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid, with AAO, APRIS, ASRS, Macular Society and NAEVR/AEVR (all unpaid); and receipt of equipment, materials, drugs, medical writing, gifts or other services from Clearside and Genentech/Roche (both for medical writing). V C Lansingh reports consulting fees from HelpMeSee (as an employee); and support for attending meetings and/or travel from HelpMeSee (pay airfare and hotel). J Leasher reports leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid with National Eye Institute (as a member) and National Eye Health Education Program planning committee (unpaid). M Nowak reports participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board with Vision Express Co. Poland as the chairman of medical advisory board of Vision Express Co. Poland. P Ramulu reports grants or contracts from National Institute of Health and Perfuse Therapeutics; and consulting fees from Alcon and W. L. Gore. F Topouzis reports grants or contracts from Théa, Omikron, Pfizer, Alcon, Abbvie and Bayer (all paid to Institution); consulting fees from Omikron, Théa and Bausch & Lomb (all paid to Topouzis); payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Omikron (paid to Topouzis), Abbvie and Roche (both paid to Institute); and leadership or fiduciary role in other board, society, committee or advocacy group, paid or unpaid with European Glaucoma Society (as president), Greek Glaucoma Society (as president) and Board of Governors, World Glaucoma Association (all unpaid).

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