TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of Vision Loss in High-Income Countries and in Eastern and Central Europe in 2020
T2 - Magnitude and Temporal Trends
AU - Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study
AU - the GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators
AU - Bron, Alain M.
AU - Jonas, Jost B.
AU - Cicinelli, Maria Vittoria
AU - Tapply, Ian
AU - Fernandes, Arthur G.
AU - Arrigo, Alessandro
AU - Leveziel, Nicolas
AU - Briant, Paul Svitil
AU - Vos, Theo
AU - Resnikoff, Serge
AU - Taylor, Hugh R.
AU - Sedighi, Tabassom
AU - Flaxman, Seth
AU - Addo, Isaac Yeboah
AU - Adekiya, Tayo Alex
AU - Agodi, Antonella
AU - Agyemang-Duah, Williams
AU - Ahinkorah, Bright Opoku
AU - Ahmad, Danish
AU - Ahmed, Ayman
AU - Alahdab, Fares
AU - Alfaar, Ahmad Samir
AU - Almidani, Louay
AU - Androudi, Sofia
AU - Anyasodor, Anayochukwu Edward
AU - Azzam, Ahmed Y.
AU - Barchitta, Martina
AU - Bhaskar, Sonu
AU - Braithwaite, Tasanee
AU - Butt, Zahid A.
AU - Santos, Florentino Luciano Caetano Dos
AU - Carneiro, Vera L.A.
AU - Martins, Natália Cruz
AU - Dadras, Omid
AU - Das, Subasish
AU - Dascalu, Ana Maria
AU - Dervenis, Nikolaos
AU - Emamverdi, Mehdi
AU - Fagbamigbe, Adeniyi Francis
AU - Fischer, Florian
AU - Galluzzo, Lucia
AU - Gupta, Veer Bala
AU - Gupta, Vivek Kumar
AU - Hussain, Salman
AU - Ilic, Irena M.
AU - Islam, Sheikh Mohammed Shariful
AU - Jacob, Louis
AU - Jakovljevic, Mihajlo
AU - Jeong, Wonjeong
AU - Lee, Wei Chen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2026
Y1 - 2026
N2 - Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of vision loss for 2020 in high-income countries (HICs) and Central/Eastern Europe and analyse evolving trends since 1990. Methods: Based on a systematic review of medical literature, prevalence of blindness, moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI), mild vision impairment (VI), moderate VI and presbyopia were estimated for 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Results: The study included 68 population-based studies. In the whole study region, the age-standardized prevalence (all ages) of blindness, MSVI, moderate VI, severe VI, mild VI, and presbyopia-related VI was 0.17% (95% CI:0.15–0.19), 2.27% (2.05–2.49), 2.06% (1.84–2.29), 0.21% (0.18–0.23), 1.79% (1.62–1.99), and 2.61% (1.88–3.48) respectively, with slightly higher rates for women than men. The prevalence rates were higher in Central/Eastern Europe than in the HIC, and lower than the global rates. Stratified between Australasia, high-income Asia Pacific region, high‐income North America, Western Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe, the age-standardized prevalence of blindness changed between 2000 and 2020 for men aged 50+ years by −7.95% (−8.11/−7.78), −14.51% (−14.64/−14.38), +13.18% (+13.00/+13.36), −12.07% (−12.23/−11.91), −14.39% (−14.54/−14.23), and −23.59% (−23.72/−23.46), respectively, without significant sex-related differences. Highest increase was in high‐income North America (+13.18% (+13.00/+13.36)) and most marked reduction in Eastern Europe (−23.59% (−23.72/−23.46)). Estimated blind individuals were stratified as follows: Australasia, 68,866 (54,913–84,527), high-income Asia Pacific region, 535,124 (439,912–640,330), high‐income North America, 711,990 (575,977–867,402), Western Europe, 1,533,752 (1,218,371–1,898,343), Central Europe, 327,352 (264,513–398,083) and Eastern Europe, 789,618 (663,130–923,121). Conclusions: Age-standardized prevalence of blindness and MSVI have further decreased in HIC and Eastern/Central Europe (except for high‐income North America with an increase).
AB - Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of vision loss for 2020 in high-income countries (HICs) and Central/Eastern Europe and analyse evolving trends since 1990. Methods: Based on a systematic review of medical literature, prevalence of blindness, moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI), mild vision impairment (VI), moderate VI and presbyopia were estimated for 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Results: The study included 68 population-based studies. In the whole study region, the age-standardized prevalence (all ages) of blindness, MSVI, moderate VI, severe VI, mild VI, and presbyopia-related VI was 0.17% (95% CI:0.15–0.19), 2.27% (2.05–2.49), 2.06% (1.84–2.29), 0.21% (0.18–0.23), 1.79% (1.62–1.99), and 2.61% (1.88–3.48) respectively, with slightly higher rates for women than men. The prevalence rates were higher in Central/Eastern Europe than in the HIC, and lower than the global rates. Stratified between Australasia, high-income Asia Pacific region, high‐income North America, Western Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe, the age-standardized prevalence of blindness changed between 2000 and 2020 for men aged 50+ years by −7.95% (−8.11/−7.78), −14.51% (−14.64/−14.38), +13.18% (+13.00/+13.36), −12.07% (−12.23/−11.91), −14.39% (−14.54/−14.23), and −23.59% (−23.72/−23.46), respectively, without significant sex-related differences. Highest increase was in high‐income North America (+13.18% (+13.00/+13.36)) and most marked reduction in Eastern Europe (−23.59% (−23.72/−23.46)). Estimated blind individuals were stratified as follows: Australasia, 68,866 (54,913–84,527), high-income Asia Pacific region, 535,124 (439,912–640,330), high‐income North America, 711,990 (575,977–867,402), Western Europe, 1,533,752 (1,218,371–1,898,343), Central Europe, 327,352 (264,513–398,083) and Eastern Europe, 789,618 (663,130–923,121). Conclusions: Age-standardized prevalence of blindness and MSVI have further decreased in HIC and Eastern/Central Europe (except for high‐income North America with an increase).
KW - Glaucoma
KW - Global Burden of Disease Study
KW - Vision Loss Expert Group
KW - blindness
KW - cataract
KW - epidemiology
KW - macular degeneration
KW - refractive error
KW - vision impairment
KW - vision loss
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025945098
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025945098#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1080/09286586.2025.2486461
DO - 10.1080/09286586.2025.2486461
M3 - Article
C2 - 40372291
AN - SCOPUS:105025945098
SN - 0928-6586
VL - 33
SP - 54
EP - 67
JO - Ophthalmic Epidemiology
JF - Ophthalmic Epidemiology
IS - 1
ER -