title: Visual impairment and blindness due to macular diseases globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the number of people visually impaired or blind due to macular diseases except those caused by diabetic maculopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Meta-analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 and ongoing literature research, we examined how many people were affected by vision impairment (presenting visual acuity <6/18, ≥3/60) and blindness (presenting visual acuity <3/60) due to macular diseases, with diabetic maculopathy excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2010, of 32.4 million blind people and 191 million vision-impaired people, 2.1 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1.9, 2.7) people were blind, and 6.0 million (95% UI: 5.2, 8.1) million were visually impaired due to macular diseases. In 2010, macular diseases caused 6.6% (95% UI: 6.0, 7.9) of all blindness and 3.1% (95% UI: 2.7, 4.0) of all vision impairment, worldwide. These figures were lower in regions with young populations than in high-income regions. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people who were blind or visually impaired due to macular diseases increased by 36%, or 0.6 million people (95% UI: 0.5, 0.8) and by 81%, or 2.7 million (95% UI: 2.6, 3.9) people, respectively, whereas the global population increased by 30%. Age-standardized global prevalence of macula-related blindness and vision impairment in adults 50 years of age and older decreased from 0.2% (95% UI: 0.2, 0.2) in 1990 to 0.1% (95% UI: 0.1, 0.2) in 2010 and remained unchanged from 0.4% (95% UI: 0.3, 0.5) to 0.4% (95% UI: 0.4, 0.6), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 2010, 2.1 million people were blind and 6.0 million people were visually impaired due to macular diseases, except those caused by diabetic maculopathy. Of every 15 blind people, 1 was blind due to macular disease, and of every 32 visually impaired people, 1 was visually impaired due to macular disease.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: Jost.Jonas@medma.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors: Jost B
authors: JB
authors: Jonas
authors: Vision and Eye Research Unit, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors: Rupert R A
authors: RR
authors: Bourne
authors: Department of Genes and Environment, Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors: Richard A
authors: RA
authors: White
authors: School of Computer Science and Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors: Seth R
authors: SR
authors: Flaxman
authors: L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India.
authors: Jill
authors: J
authors: Keeffe
authors: Nova South Eastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
authors: Janet
authors: J
authors: Leasher
authors: African Vision Research Institute, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, and the Brien Holden Vision Institute, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Kovin
authors: K
authors: Naidoo
authors: NHMRC Centre for Clinical Eye Research, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors: Konrad
authors: K
authors: Pesudovs
authors: Vision and Eye Research Unit, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors: Holly
authors: H
authors: Price
authors: Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore.
authors: Tien Y
authors: TY
authors: Wong
authors: Brien Holden Vision Institute, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Serge
authors: S
authors: Resnikoff
authors: Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors: Hugh R
authors: HR
authors: Taylor
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014943:Global Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea; D015995:Prevalence; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*