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Statistics on Visual Impairment and Blindness

Global Perspective

  • Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. In at least 1 billion of these, vision impairment could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed.

  • The leading causes of vision impairment and blindness at a global level are refractive errors and cataracts.

  • It is estimated that globally only 36% of people with a distance vision impairment due to refractive error and only 17% of people with vision impairment due to cataract have received access to an appropriate intervention.

  • Vision impairment poses an enormous global financial burden, with the annual global cost of productivity estimated to be US$ 411 billion.

  • Vision loss can affect people of all ages; however, most people with vision impairment and blindness are over the age of 50 years.

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Among this 1 billion people, the main conditions causing distance vision impairment or blindness are cataract (94 million), refractive error (88.4 million), age-related macular degeneration (8 million), glaucoma (7.7 million), diabetic retinopathy (3.9 million) (1). The main condition causing near vision impairment is presbyopia (826 million) (2).

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In terms of regional differences, the prevalence of distance vision impairment in low- and middle-income regions is estimated to be 4 times higher than in high-income regions (1). With regards to near vision, rates of unaddressed near vision impairment are estimated to be greater than 80% in western, eastern and central sub-Saharan Africa, while comparative rates in high-income regions of North America, Australasia, western Europe, and of Asia-Pacific are reported to be lower than 10% (2).

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Population growth and ageing are expected to increase the risk that more people acquire vision impairment.

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Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment

Caribbean Perspective

  • The Strategic Plan for Vision 2020: The Right to Sight – Caribbean, observed that “visual disability has far-reaching individual, social and economic consequences, impeding development in childhood and productivity in adulthood, with functional and quality of life implications across the whole life spectrum. Blindness in the Caribbean is estimated at 1%, according to the Barbados Eye Study (BES), although this figure may be higher in poor countries, such as Haiti and slightly lower in the more developed territories.

  • The main causes of blindness in the region are: non-operated Cataract, uncorrected Refractive Error and Low Vision, Diabetic Retinopathy, Childhood Blindness and Glaucoma. Childhood Blindness is not as prevalent, but is a main cause of blinding years in the population.
    As is the case globally, a high percentage of blindness in the Caribbean is avoidable (preventable or curable).

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​Blindness and Low Vision in the Anglophone Caribbean

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Source: https://www.eyecarecaribbean.com/site/ecc/education-for-all-caribbean/caribbean-situation-analysis/3/

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Trinidad and Tobago Perspective

  • T&T has approximately 27,787 people aged > 40 years with MSVI and 3799 people who are blind

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  • The prevalence of blindness and MSVI in T&T in the > 40 year group is lower than predicted by the Global Burden of Disease Study model for the 2010 Caribbean population > 50 years of age (Blind 1.9%, 95%CI 1.4 to 2.4; MSVI 11.0%, 95%CI 7.1 to 13.9)

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  • Cataract (30.1%) and diabetic retinopathy (7.9%) make a greater contribution to MSVI in T&T than expected from the GBD model. Glaucoma (28.6%) and diabetic retinopathy (11.4%) are also more important causes of blindness in T&T than expected from the GBD model..

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  • NESTT has collected robust epidemiological data on the magnitude of blindness and vision impairment in the population > 40 years for 2013-2014. Unexpected findings in the secondary outcome measures highlight the value of contemporary country specific data over estimates of prevalence and cause predicted by a Caribbean model using older data.

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  • Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of moderate and severe vision impairment (44%), as expected (GBD predicted 44.6%). Cataract is a leading cause of blindness (25.7%) and moderate and severe vision impairment (30.1%), as expected (GBD predicted 15.9% and 30.2%) (1)

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  • Cataract is a leading cause of blindness (25.7%) and moderate and severe vision impairment (30.1%), as expected (GBD predicted 15.9% and 30.2%) (1)

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  • Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness (26.6%), which was not expected (GBD predicted 11.2% (1)

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  • Diabetic retinopathy (DR) causes 11.4% blindness and 7.9% of moderate and severe vision impairment. The GBD predicted 2.3% and 7.9%4, so DR is a more important cause of blindness than expected. An estimated 20.5% of adults in T&T have diabetes, 26.3% have high blood pressure and 55.7% are overweight or obese. (2)

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Source: https://sta.uwi.edu/sites/default/files/cchsrd/documents/ARVO_2015_NESTT_Prevalence.pdf

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