Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Visual impairment and blindness due to macular diseases globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Jonas, JB; Bourne, RRA; White, RA; Flaxman, SR; Keeffe, J; Leasher, J; Naidoo, K; Pesudovs, K; Price, H; Wong, TY; Resnikoff, S; Taylor, HR ...
Published in: Am J Ophthalmol
October 2014

PURPOSE: To estimate the number of people visually impaired or blind due to macular diseases except those caused by diabetic maculopathy. DESIGN: Meta-analysis. METHODS: Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 and ongoing literature research, we examined how many people were affected by vision impairment (presenting visual acuity <6/18, ≥3/60) and blindness (presenting visual acuity <3/60) due to macular diseases, with diabetic maculopathy excluded. RESULTS: In 2010, of 32.4 million blind people and 191 million vision-impaired people, 2.1 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.9, 2.7) people were blind, and 6.0 million (95% UI: 5.2, 8.1) million were visually impaired due to macular diseases. In 2010, macular diseases caused 6.6% (95% UI: 6.0, 7.9) of all blindness and 3.1% (95% UI: 2.7, 4.0) of all vision impairment, worldwide. These figures were lower in regions with young populations than in high-income regions. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people who were blind or visually impaired due to macular diseases increased by 36%, or 0.6 million people (95% UI: 0.5, 0.8) and by 81%, or 2.7 million (95% UI: 2.6, 3.9) people, respectively, whereas the global population increased by 30%. Age-standardized global prevalence of macula-related blindness and vision impairment in adults 50 years of age and older decreased from 0.2% (95% UI: 0.2, 0.2) in 1990 to 0.1% (95% UI: 0.1, 0.2) in 2010 and remained unchanged from 0.4% (95% UI: 0.3, 0.5) to 0.4% (95% UI: 0.4, 0.6), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In 2010, 2.1 million people were blind and 6.0 million people were visually impaired due to macular diseases, except those caused by diabetic maculopathy. Of every 15 blind people, 1 was blind due to macular disease, and of every 32 visually impaired people, 1 was visually impaired due to macular disease.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Am J Ophthalmol

DOI

EISSN

1879-1891

Publication Date

October 2014

Volume

158

Issue

4

Start / End Page

808 / 815

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Visually Impaired Persons
  • Visual Acuity
  • Vision, Low
  • Retinal Diseases
  • Prevalence
  • Ophthalmology & Optometry
  • Macula Lutea
  • Humans
  • Global Health
  • Blindness
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Jonas, J. B., Bourne, R. R. A., White, R. A., Flaxman, S. R., Keeffe, J., Leasher, J., … Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study. (2014). Visual impairment and blindness due to macular diseases globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Ophthalmol, 158(4), 808–815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2014.06.012
Jonas, Jost B., Rupert R. A. Bourne, Richard A. White, Seth R. Flaxman, Jill Keeffe, Janet Leasher, Kovin Naidoo, et al. “Visual impairment and blindness due to macular diseases globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Ophthalmol 158, no. 4 (October 2014): 808–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2014.06.012.
Jonas JB, Bourne RRA, White RA, Flaxman SR, Keeffe J, Leasher J, et al. Visual impairment and blindness due to macular diseases globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Ophthalmol. 2014 Oct;158(4):808–15.
Jonas, Jost B., et al. “Visual impairment and blindness due to macular diseases globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Am J Ophthalmol, vol. 158, no. 4, Oct. 2014, pp. 808–15. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2014.06.012.
Jonas JB, Bourne RRA, White RA, Flaxman SR, Keeffe J, Leasher J, Naidoo K, Pesudovs K, Price H, Wong TY, Resnikoff S, Taylor HR, Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Visual impairment and blindness due to macular diseases globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Ophthalmol. 2014 Oct;158(4):808–815.
Journal cover image

Published In

Am J Ophthalmol

DOI

EISSN

1879-1891

Publication Date

October 2014

Volume

158

Issue

4

Start / End Page

808 / 815

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Visually Impaired Persons
  • Visual Acuity
  • Vision, Low
  • Retinal Diseases
  • Prevalence
  • Ophthalmology & Optometry
  • Macula Lutea
  • Humans
  • Global Health
  • Blindness