Prevalence of Vision Impairment in South-East Asia and Oceania in 2020 Magnitude and Temporal Trends.

AIM: To determine the prevalence and trends in vision impairment in South-East Asia and Oceania over the past 30 years.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of medical literature and employed hierarchical models to estimate the prevalence of vision impairment (VI) in 2020 in South-East Asia and Oceania in those 50 + years of age. We estimated the prevalence (with 95% uncertainty intervals [UIs]) of mild VI (presenting visual acuity between ≥6/18 and <6/12), moderate and severe VI (MSVI) (presenting visual acuity less than 6/18 to 3/60), and blindness (presenting visual acuity less than 3/60 or less than 10° visual field around central fixation); we also estimated the prevalence of vision impairment due to uncorrected presbyopia (presenting near vision less than N6 or N8 at 40 cm where best-corrected distance visual acuity is ≥6/12).

RESULTS

The prevalence of blindness in men and women in South-East Asia in 2020 was 3.05% (UI 2.58-3.49%) and 4.18% (UI 3.58-4.82%), respectively, with an age-standardised reduction of 32% for both sexes since 1990. The prevalence of MSVI in men and women in South-East Asia was 14.92% (UI 13.59-16.31%) and 15.77% (UI 14.41-17.19%), respectively, with an age-standardised reduction of 6.4% for men and 5.1% for women since 1990. The prevalence of blindness in men and women in Oceania was 1.74% (UI 1.43-2.04%) and 2.22% (1.84-2.61%), respectively, with an age-standardised reduction of 18% for both sexes. The prevalence of MSVI in men and women in Oceania in 2020 was 16.77% (14.78-18.79%) and 17.78% (15.82-19.92%), respectively, with an age-standardised reduction of 5.4% for men and 7.2% for women since 1990.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there has been a significant reduction in the prevalence of blindness in both South-East Asia and Oceania since 1990, the rates of mild to moderate visual impairment have only seen modest reductions. Furthermore, the absolute number blind in these regions increased from approximately 4.1 million in 1990 to 6.0 million in 2020.