By 2050, over 9 million people expected to be affected by AMD-related vision loss
The global burden of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)-related vision loss has significantly increased over the past 3 decades and is projected to rise further due to aging populations, particularly affecting women and regions with lower socioeconomic development, according to findings from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD 2021) study.
The study analyzed data from 204 countries between 1990 and 2021 and found that the number of AMD-related low vision and blindness cases has more than doubled over 3 decades, from 3.64 million in 1990 to 8.06 million in 2021. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to AMD also surged from 302,902 in 1990 to 578,020 in 2021. Despite these increases, age-standardized prevalence rates and DALY rates showed a slight decline over the same period.
The study highlighted disparities in AMD-related vision loss based on age, gender, and socioeconomic factors, with the burden of AMD rising with age and higher among women. Regions with lower socioeconomic development, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, experienced higher prevalence and DALY rates compared to wealthier regions.
Predictive modeling suggests that by 2050, the number of people affected by AMD-related vision loss could exceed 9 million globally, with women disproportionately impacted.
Reference
Zhang S, Ren J, Chai R, et al. Global burden of low vision and blindness due to age-related macular degeneration from 1990 to 2021 and projections for 2050. BMC Public Health. 2024;24(1):3510. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-21047-x. PMID: 39695517; PMCID: PMC11657136.
