Navigating Presbyopia Conversations with Patients in Practice
Optometry 360
Home > Global glaucoma disability rates decline despite rising case burden

Global glaucoma disability rates decline despite rising case burden

Optometry 360

Key Takeaways

  1. Global glaucoma AS-DALY rates fell 39% from 1990 to 2023 despite a 52% increase in absolute DALYs.
  2. Burden declined more rapidly in males and remained highest in low-SDI countries.
  3. AS-DALY rates are projected to decrease by another 27.8% by 2050.

Age-standardized disability from glaucoma has fallen worldwide over the past three decades and is expected to continue declining through 2050, according to a new analysis, even as population aging increases the overall number of people affected by glaucoma-related disability.

Researchers analyzed glaucoma-related age-standardized disability-adjusted life-year (AS-DALY) rates across 204 countries and territories.

In 2023, the global AS-DALY rate for glaucoma was 7.46 per 100,000, down 39% from 1990, even as the total number of DALYs increased by 52%. The decline was greater in males than females, with the largest improvement occurring between 2000 and 2015, when 41% of the overall reduction was achieved.

The analysis found substantial differences by socio-demographic Index (SDI), with high- and middle-SDI countries reaching near-minimum burden by 2000 and 2010, respectively, while low-SDI countries continued to experience persistently higher rates with partial rebounds.

The analysis projects that global glaucoma AS-DALY rates will continue declining through 2050 at an average annual rate of 1.2%, for an estimated additional reduction of 27.8% without a rebound.

Reference

Li Y, Fang H, Yu Q, et al. Global, regional, and national burden of glaucoma, 1990-2023: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2026;doi: 10.1007/s00417-026-07369-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42461304.

Related Content