While total blindness from glaucoma has been trending downward, glaucoma-related vision loss has trended upward, a new study reports. 

The study findings, recently presented at the virtual 2121 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference, documented the disturbing 20-year trend despite the host of new treatments that have joined the market in the last two decades. 

What They Did

The research team, headed by Rupert Bourne, MD, of Vision & Eye Research Institute, Cambridge, UK, analyzed data from population-based surveys conducted between January 1980 through October 2018, along with additional data collected through 2020.

Moderate to severe vision impairment (MSVI) was defined as visual acuity ranging from <6/18 down to 3/60, and blindness caused by glaucoma was defined as visual acuity <3/60. Results were stratified by age, region, sex, and year. 

What They Found

Results of the analysis showed that:

• 3.60 million people aged ≥50 years developed glaucoma-related blindness in 2020. Though this number represented a 41.0% increase since 2000, it also represented a 23.3% age-adjusted decrease from intervening years, reflecting a downward trend.
• 4.13 million people demonstrated MSVI in 2020, a 91.9% increase from 2000, representing a 5.9% increase in terms of the upward trend.

Regarding the subgroups, the study found that:

• The ratio of women to men who experienced blindness from glaucoma increased between 2000 and 2020. 
• The ratio of women to men who experienced MSVI increased between 2000 and 2020. 
• Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest rates in 2020 for patients aged ≥50 years for:
  • Glaucoma Blindness (0.66%) 
  • Vision Impairment (0.46%) 
• Regions with the highest rates of both blindness and MSVI included:
  • North Africa and Middle East: 
    • Blindness: 0.57%
    • Vision Impairment: 0.38% 
  • Latin America and the Caribbean:
    • Blindness: 0.26%
    • Vision Impairment: 0.39%

What it Means

The findings, wrote the study authors, serve to emphasize the urgent need for increased disease awareness; sustainable, cost-effective screening, and accessible quality care across regions and populations. The scientists are also encouraged, however.

“The decline in age-adjusted glaucoma blindness suggests successful targeting of the most severe cases or earlier detection,” they wrote. “Further reduction in the burden of vision impairment from glaucoma can be realised by improved access and affordability of topical medications and laser, and a focus on high quality glaucoma surgery and postoperative care.”

*Alicea, J. (2021, May 4). Study Suggests Glaucoma-Induced Vision Loss is on the Rise. HCP Live. https://www.hcplive.com/view/study-suggests-glaucoma-induced-vision-loss-rise