Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD)-The Vision Loss Group—Early Trends and Considerations of the Global Prevalence of Blindnessand Visual Impairment

Objective. This presentation shall describe the GBD, with emphasis on the global prevalence trends in visual impairment and blindness. Background. The GBD is a complete systematic assessment of the 18 data on all diseases and injuries and produces comprehensive comparable estimates of the burden of diseases, injuries and risk factors for the time periods 1990, 2005 and 2010 for 199 countries divided into 21 global sub-regions. It is directed by the World Health Organization in partnership with global experts in each disease area. Methods. A group of Vision Loss Experts conducted a systematic literature review from 2008-2010 for nationally-representative scientifically-valid peer-reviewed published articles describing the prevalence and incidence of case definitions for 7 levels of presenting vision loss. Studies were included if they were a representative sample of the national or regional population. Data were modeled in a hierarchical model in a linear and non-linear fashion, borrowing data across countries and regions where data was sparse or unsuitable. Covariates such as income (GDP), education, health systems access, and urbanization were also modeled. Results. The global trends over time, with ageadjusted estimates and gender-specific estimates will be presented. Selected examples of specific countries or regions will be highlighted. Conclusions. The World Health Organization’s campaign to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020 needs accurate data estimates to meet this ambitious objective. The results from the current GBD show trends of reduction in the global level of blindness across all regions from 1990 to 2010. Grants. None to NSU.