2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
10 Glaucoma
Chapter 1: Introduction to Glaucoma: Terminology, Epidemiology, and Genetics
Epidemiology
As the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world, glaucoma poses a significant public health problem. It has been estimated that by 2020, approximately 80 million people worldwide will have glaucoma, with 11.2 million bilaterally blind as a result. A meta-analysis estimated that the global prevalence is about 3.5% in the population aged 40–80 years. Because older age is a major risk factor for glaucoma and because life expectancies are increasing in most populations, the prevalence of glaucoma is expected to increase sharply in the coming decades. (Note: The confidence intervals have been omitted around the estimated prevalence and incidence values in this chapter.)
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Bourne RR, Taylor HR, Flaxman SR, et al. Number of people blind or visually impaired by glaucoma worldwide and in world regions 1990–2010: a meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2016;11(10):e0162229.
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Tham YC, Li S, Wong TY, Quigley HA, Aung T, Cheng CY. Global prevalence of glaucoma and projections of glaucoma burden through 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2014;121(11):2081–2090.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 10 - Glaucoma. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.