title: Global data on visual impairment in the year 2002.
abstract: This paper presents estimates of the prevalence of visual impairment and its causes in 2002, based on the best available evidence derived from recent studies. Estimates were determined from data on low vision and blindness as defined in the International statistical classification of diseases, injuries and causes of death, 10th revision. The number of people with visual impairment worldwide in 2002 was in excess of 161 million, of whom about 37 million were blind. The burden of visual impairment is not distributed uniformly throughout the world: the least developed regions carry the largest share. Visual impairment is also unequally distributed across age groups, being largely confined to adults 50 years of age and older. A distribution imbalance is also found with regard to gender throughout the world: females have a significantly higher risk of having visual impairment than males. Notwithstanding the progress in surgical intervention that has been made in many countries over the last few decades, cataract remains the leading cause of visual impairment in all regions of the world, except in the most developed countries. Other major causes of visual impairment are, in order of importance, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and trachoma.
authors.affiliation: Programme for the Prevention of Blindness and Deafness, World Health Organization, Geneva 1211, Switzerland. resnikoffs@who.int
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Resnikoff
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pascolini
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Etya'ale
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kocur
authors.forename: Ramachandra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pararajasegaram
authors.forename: Gopal P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Pokharel
authors.forename: Silvio P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Mariotti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015984:Causality; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*