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Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by age-related macular degeneration: 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
  • , João M. Furtado
  • , Jost B. Jonas
  • , Ian Tapply
  • , Arthur G. Fernandes
  • , Maria Vittoria Cicinelli
  • , Alessandro Arrigo
  • , Nicolas Leveziel
  • , Serge Resnikoff
  • , Hugh R. Taylor
  • , Tabassom Sedighi
  • , Seth Flaxman
  • , Maurizio Battaglia Parodi
  • , Mukkharram M. Bikbov
  • , Tasanee Braithwaite
  • , Alain Bron
  • , Ching Yu Cheng
  • , Nathan Congdon
  • , Monte A. Del Monte
  • Tim Fricke, Sonu Bhaskar, Ganesh R. Naik, Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu, et al.
  • Universidade de São Paulo
  • Heidelberg University 
  • Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Universidade Federal de São Paulo
  • University of Calgary
  • Vita-Salute San Raffaele University
  • Eating Disorders Unit
  • Université de Poitiers
  • CHU de Poitiers
  • University of New South Wales
  • University of Melbourne
  • Anglia Ruskin University
  • University of Oxford
  • Ufa Eye Research Institute
  • King's College London
  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
  • Université de Bourgogne
  • National University of Singapore
  • Queen's University Belfast
  • ORBIS International
  • Sun Yat-Sen University
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Australian College of Optometry
  • NSW Brain Clot Bank
  • South West Sydney Local Heath District and Liverpool Hospital
  • Flinders University
  • University of KwaZulu-Natal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)
2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: We aimed to update estimates of global vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based surveys of eye diseases from January, 1980, to October, 2018. We fitted hierarchical models to estimate the prevalence of moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI; presenting visual acuity from <6/18 to 3/60) and blindness (< 3/60) caused by AMD, stratified by age, region, and year. Results: In 2020, 1.85 million (95%UI: 1.35 to 2.43 million) people were estimated to be blind due to AMD, and another 6.23 million (95%UI: 5.04 to 7.58) with MSVI globally. High-income countries had the highest number of individuals with AMD-related blindness (0.60 million people; 0.46 to 0.77). The crude prevalence of AMD-related blindness in 2020 (among those aged ≥ 50 years) was 0.10% (0.07 to 0.12) globally, and the region with the highest prevalence of AMD-related blindness was North Africa/Middle East (0.22%; 0.16 to 0.30). Age-standardized prevalence (using the GBD 2019 data) of AMD-related MSVI in people aged ≥ 50 years in 2020 was 0.34% (0.27 to 0.41) globally, and the region with the highest prevalence of AMD-related MSVI was also North Africa/Middle East (0.55%; 0.44 to 0.68). From 2000 to 2020, the estimated crude prevalence of AMD-related blindness decreased globally by 19.29%, while the prevalence of MSVI increased by 10.08%. Conclusions: The estimated increase in the number of individuals with AMD-related blindness and MSVI globally urges the creation of novel treatment modalities and the expansion of rehabilitation services.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2070-2082
Number of pages13
JournalEye (Basingstoke)
Volume38
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

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