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Blindness rates decline significantly, AMD tops cataract, study finds
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Researchers have found that the incidence of blindness and vision impairment in high-income regions and in Central/Eastern Europe, 1990 to 2010, greatly decreased.
Researchers compared and summarized 243 studies that included millions of adults.
The study stated that from 1990 to 2010, the prevalence of blindness for those 49 years or younger decreased from 0.2% to 0.1% and for those 50+ years from 0.8% to 0.4%. Moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI) decreased from 1.6% to 1.0% in those 49 years or younger and from 6.0% to 3.8% in those 50+ years. Overall prevalence of blindness and MSVI was generally higher in women in all regions.
Researchers also found that the top cause of blindness changed from cataract in 1990 to age-related macular degeneration in 2010 in Asia Pacific, Australia, Western Europe and North America.
The study reported that in high-income regions and in Central/Eastern Europe, the number of blind people declined by 17.4% from 1990 to 2010. For MSVI, the prevalence decreased by 12.6% for the same time period.
Researchers concluded that while cataract was the most frequent cause of blindness in 1990, now AMD is most frequent. Only in Central/Eastern Europe does cataract remain the leading cause, although its prevalence has decreased since 1990.
Researchers stressed the impending epidemic of diabetes on blindness and vision loss; it is estimated that there will be more than 100 million people with diabetic retinopathy and possibly 30 million at risk of severe sight-threatening retinopathy.
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Bourne RRA, et al. Br J Ophthal. 2014;doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2013-304033
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