title: Number of People Blind or Visually Impaired by Cataract Worldwide and in World Regions, 1990 to 2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate prevalence and number of people visually impaired or blind due to cataract.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2010 and ongoing literature research, we examined how many people were affected by moderate to severe vision impairment (MSVI; presenting visual acuity <6/18, ≥3/60) and blindness (presenting visual acuity <3/60) due to cataract.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2010, of overall 32.4 million blind and 191 million vision impaired, 10.8 million people were blind and 35.1 million were visually impaired due to cataract. Cataract caused worldwide 33.4% of all blindness in 2010, and 18.4% of all MSVI. These figures were lower in the high-income regions (<15%) and higher (>40%) in South and Southeast Asia and Oceania. From 1990 to 2010, the number of blind or visually impaired due to cataract decreased by 11.4% and by 20.2%, respectively; the age-standardized global prevalence of cataract-related blindness and MSVI reduced by 46% and 50%, respectively, and the worldwide crude prevalence of cataract-related blindness and MSVI reduced by 32% and 39%, respectively. The percentage of global blindness and MSVI caused by cataract decreased from 38.6% to 33.4%, and from 25.6% to 18.4%, respectively. This decrease took place in almost all world regions, except East Sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 2010, one in three blind people was blind due to cataract, and one of six visually impaired people was visually impaired due to cataract. Despite major improvements in terms of reduction of prevalence, cataract remains a major public health problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Moncef
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khairallah
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Rim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kahloun
authors.affiliation: Vision and Eye Research Unit, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bourne
authors.affiliation: Consultant public eye health, Health Information Services, Grootebroek, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Limburg
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science and Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
authors.forename: Seth R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Flaxman
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Jost B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keeffe
authors.affiliation: Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leasher
authors.affiliation: African Vision Research Institute, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa and Brien Holden Vision Institute, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Kovin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Naidoo
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre for Clinical Eye Research, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pesudovs
authors.affiliation: Vision and Eye Research Unit, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Department of Genes and Environment, Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore.
authors.forename: Tien Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Brien Holden Vision Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Resnikoff
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Hugh R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014792:Visual Acuity