| •
|
Glaucoma is second to cataract as a leading cause of global blindness and is the leading cause of irreversible visual loss. |
| •
|
In 2002, 37 million individuals were blind worldwide, with glaucoma accounting for 12.3% of these individuals. |
| •
|
By the year 2020 it is estimated that there will be almost 80 million people in the world with open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure
glaucoma. The majority of these individuals will have open-angle glaucoma. Of those with ACG, it is predicted that 70% will
be women and 87% will be Asian.
|
| •
|
Bilateral blindness from glaucoma is projected to affect 8.4 million individuals worldwide by 2010 and greater than 11 million
by 2020. Globally, glaucoma is a significant cause of vision loss that disproportionately affects women and Asians.
|
| •
|
Risk factors for open-angle glaucoma include increased age, African ethnicity, family history, increased intraocular pressure,
myopia, and decreased corneal thickness.
|
| •
|
Risk factors for angle closure glaucoma include Inuit and Asian ethnicity, hyperopia, female sex, shallow anterior chamber,
short axial length, small corneal diameter, steep corneal curvature, shallow limbal chamber depth, and thick, relatively anteriorly
positioned lens.
|