80 million glaucoma sufferers by 2020

According to a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, 60.5 million people will be affected by glaucoma by 2010, a figure that will increase to 80 million by 2020.

People who are blind in both eyes will number 8.5 million by 2010 and 11 million by 2020. Six out of ten sufferers are women, and Asian, African and Indian populations will be the most affected. The experts who carried out the study estimate that India will be one of the countries in which the disease will increase more quickly between 2010 and 2020.

According to the experts, the increase in the disease is due to the absence of the painful symptoms typical of glaucoma and the lack of regular eye examinations.

(Source: Acuité)