Time trends, associations and prevalence of blindness and vision loss due to glaucoma: an analysis of observational data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

• Published in: BMJ open 2022-01, Vol.12 (1), p.e053805-e053805
• Main Authors: Sun, Yi, Chen, Aiming, Zou, Minjie, Zhang, Yichi, Jin, Ling, Li, Yi, Zheng, Danying, Jin, Guangming, Congdon, Nathan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Blindness - complications; Blindness - etiology; Cataracts; Disease; Educational attainment; epidemiology; Female; Fertility; Glaucoma; Glaucoma - complications; Glaucoma - epidemiology; Global Burden of Disease; GNI; Gross National Income; Humans; Male; Ophthalmology; Per capita; Population; Prevalence; Public health; Regression analysis; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic factors; Statistical analysis; Trends; Vision Disorders - complications; Visual impairment; Womens health
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053805

ObjectiveTo estimate global prevalence of blindness and vision loss caused by glaucoma, and to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic factors on it.DesignA population-based observational study.SettingThe prevalence of blindness and vision loss due to glaucoma were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 database. The Human Development Index (HDI), inequality-adjusted HDI and other socioeconomic data were acquired from international open databases.Main outcome measuresThe prevalence of blindness and vision loss due to glaucoma by age, gender, subregion and Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) levels. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore the associations between the prevalence and socioeconomic indicators.ResultsThe overall age-standardised prevalence of blindness and vision loss due to glaucoma worldwide was 81.5 per 100 000 in 1990 and 75.6 per 100 000 in 2017. In 2017, men had a higher age-standardised prevalence than women (6.07% vs 5.42%), and the worldwide prevalence increased with age, from 0.5 per 100 000 in the 45–49 year age group to 112.9 per 100 000 among those 70+. Eastern Mediterranean and African regions had the highest prevalence during the whole period, while the Americas region had the lowest prevalence. The prevalence was highest in low-SDI and low-income regions while lowest in high-SDI and high-income regions over the past 27 years. Multiple linear regression showed cataract surgery rate (β=−0.01, p=0.009), refractive error prevalence (β=−0.03, p=0.024) and expected years of schooling (β= -8.33, p=0.035) were associated with lower prevalence, while gross national income per capita (β=0.002, p