There were 36 million blind people in the world in 2015, according to results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet Global Health. But by 2050, that number will triple. In question, the aging of the population and the demographic growth. To contain this phenomenon, investments are necessary and essential to set up new treatments.
Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University (UK) systematically analyzed and meta-analyzed population data sets for the visual impairment and blindness which were published between 1980 and 2015.
The researchers revealed that the overall prevalence of blindness decreased from 0.75% in 1990 to 0.48% in 2015, while the rate of moderate to severe visual impairment fell from 3.83% to 2, 90%. They believe that this evolution in the improvement of the standard of living, in public health programs, in the development of treatments such as the surgery of the cataract and better access toophthalmology.
“However, as most visual impairments are related to age, as the population continues to grow and age, the number of people affected has increased around the world,” they explain. “And it should continue to do so, especially since the proportion of people affected could stop decreasing or even rebound from 2020”.
From presbyopia to blindness: visual disturbances on the rise
In addition, 217 million people are affected by visual impairment moderate to severe in 2015, 35% more than in 1990, and they will be 588 million in 2050, according to statistics from 188 countries.
The researchers also revealed that more than a billion people also suffer from presbyopia, a near vision disorder that appears with age.
Strong geographic disparities
Blindness affects low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia most.
There are thus 1.98% blind in Afghanistan and 1.86% in Ethiopia, against only 0.08% in Iceland, Belgium and Denmark. In France, the proportion is estimated at 0.14%.
Women remain at the heart of this health problem, since they represent more than half (56%) of the blind and 55% of the visually impaired.
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