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Causes of Vision Loss

Age-related Macular Degeneration

TrachomaRefractive errorCataractOther vision lossGlaucomaDiabetic retinopathy

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Global Australasia Caribbean Central Asia Central Europe Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia Central Latin America Central Sub-Saharan Africa East Asia Eastern Europe Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa High-income High-income Asia Pacific High-income North America Latin America and Caribbean North Africa and Middle East Oceania South Asia Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania Southern Latin America Southern Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Tropical Latin America Western Europe Western Sub-Saharan Africa
Global Australasia Caribbean Central Asia Central Europe Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia Central Latin America Central Sub-Saharan Africa East Asia Eastern Europe Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa High-income High-income Asia Pacific High-income North America Latin America and Caribbean North Africa and Middle East Oceania South Asia Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania Southern Latin America Southern Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Tropical Latin America Western Europe Western Sub-Saharan Africa
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1990200020102020
Age-std prevalence Crude prevalence Numbers affected
All agesAdults 50+
MaleFemaleBoth
GlaucomaCataractAge-related macular degenerationRefractive errorOther vision lossDiabetic retinopathy

Crude prevalence of vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration, Global, South Asia, North Africa and Middle East, 2020

(all ages, males & females)

Source: Data from VLEG/GBD 2020 model, accessed via the IAPB Vision Atlas

Cause data is not available for people with mild vision impairment.

Also, there is limited information on the causes of vision impairment and blindness for people under 50 years of age.

More standardisation and certainty of the causes of vision impairment and blindness would be beneficial in future research.

Age-related Macular Degeneration: Global summary from the VLEG study

The age-standardised prevalence of blindness due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) declined by almost 30% from 1990 to 2020, which was likely associated with the widespread clinical introduction of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) therapy for exudative AMD.

Since most patients with AMD show the currently untreatable non-exudative form that can progress to atrophy of the foveal centre (geographic atrophy), the development of treatments and prophylactic measures specifically against non-exudative AMD are required.

It’s important to also note that for every person that experiences vision impairment and blindness from AMD, there are many more living with early stage AMD who need comprehensive and integrated people centred eye care services to prevent vision loss.

Reference

Adelson, J., Bourne, R., Briant, P., Flaxman, S., Taylor, H., Jonas, J., Abdoli, A., Abrha, W., Abualhasan, A., Abu-Gharbieh, E. and Adal, T. (2020). Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet Global Health.

Learn more about age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease affecting the central area of the retina (macula) at the back of the eye. It causes a gradual deterioration of the macula, usually over many years, as the retinal cells die off and are not regenerated.

Find out more at this link.

Related pages on the Vision Atlas

Refractive Error

Refractive disorders are important causes of vision loss, but are easily treatable.

Cataract

In 2020, cataract remained the first or second cause of vision loss in all world regions.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy continues to be an important cause of vision impairment.

Other Vision Loss

A considerable proportion of the vision loss burden was listed as ‘residual causes’.

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