Aging as Risk Factor in Eye Disease

Abstract

The major causes of blindness and reduced vision are related to cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy—all of which recognize aging as the major risk factor. The burden of visual impairment is not distributed uniformly through the world. The least developed regions carry the largest share. Visual impairment is also unequally distributed across age groups, with incidence largely confined to adults 50 years of age and older (83%). A distribution imbalance is also found with regard to the gender throughout the world—females have a significantly higher risk of developing visual impairment than males because their life expectancy is higher and their economic possibilities may be less. Notwithstanding the progress in surgical intervention that has been made in many countries over the last several decades, cataracts remains the leading cause of visual impairment in all regions of the world, except in the most developed countries.

“Une des tristesses de la vie est que toutes les évaluations chiffrées des performances visuelles montrent quÉelles déclinent progressivement avec l'âge.”

Kline, 1987