Vision Impairment: Epidemiology

Prof S. Resnikoff MD PhD

ICO Director of Eye Care Delivery - Geneva

BHVI - Sydney

2nd International Course in Visual Health

February 14th – 15th, 2020, Querétaro

Outline

1. Burden: absolute numbers

2. Prevalence: Latin America vs other regions

3. Trends and projections

4. Avoidable vs Unavoidable VI

5. Needs for Low Vision services

2015 Global data

Near distance VI:

1.1 billion

Classification Issue:

Near Distance VI

not included in ICD 10

Far distance VI: 0.253 Billion

3.20%

3.25%

3.30%

3.35%

3.40%

3.45%

3.50%

3.55%

3.60%

3.65%

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Crude Prevalence of Vision Impairment

Presenting VA < 0.3 (6/18)

(World, all ages, 1990 – 2020)

0

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

0.045

0.05

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Age-stand. Prevalence of Vision Imp.

Presenting VA < 0.3 (6/18)

(World, all-ages, 1990 – 2020)

Importance of Global

Population Ageing

Ageing: 2010 (pop 65+)

Ageing: 2050 (pop 65+)

7 Super-Regions – Vision impairment (PVA < 0.3 (6/18)

India

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Crude Prevalence VI

Central/East Europe

Africa

High Income Countries

Middle East North Afr.

Latin Am Caribbean

China

The situation in Africa is

less worrying than in Asia

Inequities ?

RE

Other

AMD

Glaucoma

CODR

Tra

RE

Other

AMD

Glaucoma CODR Tra

RE

Other

AMD

Glaucoma

CODR Tra

Cataract Cataract Cataract

Blindness

(PVA < 0.05)

Mod. & Severe VI

(PVA 0.3 – 0.05)

Visual Impairment

(PVA < 0.3)

Avoidable vs Unavoidable Visual Impairment

Curable vs Non Curable Visual Impairment

56% 75%78%

Curable (URE+Cataract)

Avoidable Blindness – 21 GBD Regions

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0% South Asia: 72%

High

Income

Countries

33%

Avoidable Blindness

nowhere eliminated

Low Vision Services and Rehabilitation needs

253 million with Visual Impairment

(36 million Blind + 217 million MSVI)

56% of Blind

and 78% of MSVI

are curable

189 million could

have their sight restored

through cataract surgery

or provision of glasses

25% of VI cannot have

their sight restored

but have residual vision

5% of Blind

have NLP or LP+

2 million

need

Rehabilitation

62 million

need Low Vision

Services

Low vision service coverage

No information No services provided≤10%11-50%>50%

80% of countries have ≤10% coverage

Peggy Chiang & Jill Keeffe