Global impact of population aging on vision loss prevalence: A population-based study

Abstract

Background

Vision loss is a leading cause of healthy life loss in late adulthood. We aimed to comprehensively examine the impact of population aging on vision loss prevalence worldwide.

Methods

This population-based study used repeated cross-sectional data on vision loss and its related causes from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study. We investigated the impact of population aging by decomposing changes in vision loss prevalence into contributions of population growth, population aging, and epidemiological rate changes using the latest decomposition method and comparing the net effect of population aging and epidemiological rate changes.

Results

The global vision loss prevalence attributed to population aging increased from 1991 to 2019, reaching 183.37 million in 2019. In relation to the 19 vision loss causes, the greatest increase in population aging-attributed vision loss prevalence was observed for near vision loss, refraction disorders, and cataract, whereas the contributions of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration were not substantial. The impact of population aging on vision loss prevalence varied greatly worldwide based on development levels. However, in most countries, the increase in vision loss prevalence caused by population aging exceeded far and could not be offset by epidemiological rate variations.

Conclusions

With the aging of the population, vision loss has become one of the most serious public health concerns. It is imperative that policy makers invest more in vision health preventive medicine and implement proven, cost-effective interventions to combat the epidemic of vision loss as the population ages.