Abstract
Purpose:
To estimate the number of people visually impaired or blind due to diabetic retinopathy (DR).
Methods:
Based on the Global Burden of Disease GBD) Study 2010 and ongoing literature searches to January 2012, we estimated trends in causes of moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI; presenting visual acuity <6/18, ≥3/60) and blindness (presenting visual acuity <3/60).
Results:
In 2010, out of overall 32.4 million blind and 191 million vision impaired, 834,000 (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 703,000, 1,102,000) people were blind, and 3.7 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI):3.1,5.5) were visually impaired due to DR. From 1990 to 2010, the number of blind or visually impaired due to DR increased by 176,000 (95%UI: 136,000, 535,000) or 27% and by 1.445 million (95%UI: 1,289, 2,561) or 64%, respectively. DR caused worldwide 2.6% (95%UI: 2.2,3.4) of all blindness in 2010 and 1.9% (95%UI: 1.6,2.7) of all MSVI. These figures were lower in regions with younger populations (<2% in East and Southeast Asia, Oceania) than in high-income regions with relatively older populations (>4%). From 1990 to 2010, the figures increased from 2.1% (1.9,2.5) to 2.6%, and from 1.3% (1.2,1.6) to 1.9%, respectively. This took place in all world regions except in Western Europe and high-income North America where a slight decrease occurred. The age-standardized prevalence of DR related blindness and MSVI in adults aged 50+ years were higher in women than in men 0.1% (95%UI:0.0,0.1) versus 0.0% (95%UI:0.0,0.1); and 0.2% (95%UI:0.2,0.4) versus 0.2% (95%UI:0.1,0.3), respectively. Both values were highest in North Africa/Middle East (0.6%;95%UI: 0.4,0.9 and 1.0%;95%UI: 0.7,1.16, respectively) and all regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and lowest in high-income regions and South Asia. Both prevalences increased from 1990 to 2010 in all Sub-Saharan regions (from 0.18% to 0.45% for blindness; from 0.3% to 0.8% for MSVI) and did not change in the other regions.
Conclusions:
In 2010, 0.8 million people were blind and 3.7 million people were visually impaired due to DR, with an increase by 176,000 (27%) and 1.4 million (64%) from 1990 to 2010. Age-standardized prevalence of DR related blindness and MSVI was higher in women and in Sub-Saharan Africa. One out of 39 blind people was blind due to DR, and one out of 52 visually impaired people was visually impaired due to DR.
Keywords: 463 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence •
499 diabetic retinopathy