Burdens and Trends of Age-related Macular Degeneration at Global, Regional, and National Levels,1990-2021: Findings from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study

Overview

Journal Eye (Lond)

Specialty Ophthalmology

Date 2025 Feb 17

PMID 39962207

Authors

Yanping Zhou

Wenchang Jia

Jianling Song

Min Li

Wei Dai

Jian Zou

Jing Zhou

Xiangwu Chen

Xiaopan Li

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To assess global, regional, and national burdens and trends of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from 1990 to 2021.

Methods: Data from the Global Burden of disease Study 2021(GBD 2021) were used. The primary measurement were prevalent cases, years lived with disability (YLDs), age-standardised prevalence rate (ASPR) and age-standardised YLDs rate (ASYR), categorized by age and sociodemographic index (SDI). Trend analysis was measured by calculating average annual percentage change (AAPC) of ASPR and ASYR.

Results: Globally, the prevalent AMD cases increased to 8,057,520.459 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 6,705,283.83 to 9,823,237.34) in 2021, with associated YLDs rising to 577,984.5004 (95% UI, 401,188.20 to 797,657.63). AMD burdens varied across regions and countries, as well as level of SDI development. China, India, and the United States of America (USA) were the top three countries with AMD cases. Caribbean regions have significant lower ASPR and ASYR of AMD. The AMD burden peaked between ages 65-69. Females had a significantly higher burden of AMD compared to males. From 1990 to 2021, the global ASPR and ASYR showed downward trend (AAPC = -0.15, 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.19 to -0.12, P < 0.001; AAPC = -0.69, 95% CI, -0.71 to -0.67, P < 0.001) respectively. The USA is the only developed country showed decreasing AAPCs of ASPR and ASYR from 1990 to 2021 but increasing AAPCs of ASPR and ASYR from 2012 to 2021.

Conclusions: AMD burdens increased over 30 years, varying by age, sex, and SDI, guiding global strategies and public health interventions.

References

Guymer R, Campbell T . Age-related macular degeneration. Lancet. 2023; 401(10386):1459-1472. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02609-5. View

Fleckenstein M, Keenan T, Guymer R, Chakravarthy U, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Klaver C . Age-related macular degeneration. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021; 7(1):31. DOI: 10.1038/s41572-021-00265-2. View

Fleckenstein M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Chakravarthy U . Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Review. JAMA. 2024; 331(2):147-157. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.26074. View

Wong W, Su X, Li X, Cheung C, Klein R, Cheng C . Global prevalence of age-related macular degeneration and disease burden projection for 2020 and 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2014; 2(2):e106-16. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70145-1. View

Jonas J, Cheung C, Panda-Jonas S . Updates on the Epidemiology of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila). 2017; 6(6):493-497. DOI: 10.22608/APO.2017251. View

Tsang J, Wright A, Carr M, Dickinson C, Harper R, Kontopantelis E . Risk of Falls and Fractures in Individuals With Cataract, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, or Glaucoma. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2023; 142(2):96-106. PMC: 10870181. DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.5858. View

Piyasena P, Olvera-Herrera V, Chan V, Clarke M, Wright D, MacKenzie G . Vision impairment and traffic safety outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2021; 9(10):e1411-e1422. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00303-X. View

Taylor D, Hobby A, Binns A, Crabb D . How does age-related macular degeneration affect real-world visual ability and quality of life? A systematic review. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(12):e011504. PMC: 5168634. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011504. View

Marques A, Ramke J, Cairns J, Butt T, Zhang J, Jones I . The economics of vision impairment and its leading causes: A systematic review. EClinicalMedicine. 2022; 46:101354. PMC: 8943414. DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101354. View

10.

Saxena N, George P, Hoon H, Han L, Onn Y . Burden of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Its Economic Implications in Singapore in the Year 2030. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2016; 23(4):232-7. DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2016.1193617. View

11.

Murray C . The Global Burden of Disease Study at 30 years. Nat Med. 2022; 28(10):2019-2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01990-1. View

12.

Murray C . Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet. 2024; 403(10440):2259-2262. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00769-4. View

13.

Xu X, Wu J, Yu X, Tang Y, Tang X, Shentu X . Regional differences in the global burden of age-related macular degeneration. BMC Public Health. 2020; 20(1):410. PMC: 7106756. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-8445-y. View

14.

Jiang B, Jiang C, Li J, Lu P . Trends and disparities in disease burden of age-related macular degeneration from 1990 to 2019: Results from the global burden of disease study 2019. Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1138428. PMC: 10231224. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1138428. View

15.

Stevens G, Alkema L, Black R, Boerma J, Collins G, Ezzati M . Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting: the GATHER statement. Lancet. 2016; 388(10062):e19-e23. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30388-9. View

16.

El Bcheraoui C, Mimche H, Miangotar Y, Krish V, Ziegeweid F, Krohn K . Burden of disease in francophone Africa, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet Glob Health. 2020; 8(3):e341-e351. PMC: 7034333. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30024-3. View

17.

Tuo Y, Li Y, Li Y, Ma J, Yang X, Wu S . Global, regional, and national burden of thalassemia, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2021. EClinicalMedicine. 2024; 72:102619. PMC: 11090906. DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102619. View

18.

Xu T, Wang B, Liu H, Wang H, Yin P, Dong W . Prevalence and causes of vision loss in China from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Public Health. 2020; 5(12):e682-e691. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30254-1. View

19.

Nkanga D, Adenuga O, Okonkwo O, Ovienria W, Ibanga A, Agweye C . Profile, Visual Presentation and Burden of Retinal Diseases Seen in Ophthalmic Clinics in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clin Ophthalmol. 2020; 14:679-687. PMC: 7067142. DOI: 10.2147/OPTH.S226494. View

20.

Bejarano E, Domenech-Bendana A, Avila-Portillo N, Rowan S, Edirisinghe S, Taylor A . Glycative stress as a cause of macular degeneration. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2024; 101:101260. PMC: 11699537. DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2024.101260. View