Sharp increase in leading cause of irreversible but preventable blindness driven by ageing population and shows need for early diagnosis
New estimates predict at least 1.6 million people in the UK will be living with glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, by 2060.
The figure is much higher than the current 1.1 million people estimated to have the condition, research published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggests.
The sharp rise will be driven by an increasingly ageing population and growth in the proportion of higher-risk ethnically diverse groups, prompting a need for an expansion in eye health services to meet demand.
The glaucoma “demographic timebomb” will require “serious planning and action now” to ensure future patients have timely diagnosis and treatment, experts say. They also stressed the importance of annual eye checks for people in middle age, and called for awareness campaigns to be rolled out to address late diagnosis.
