Epidemiology of severe visual impairment and blindness of old people in Germany

Abstract

Approximately 500,000 blind and 1 million visually impaired persons live in Germany, which lacks a national blind registry. Therefore data from social welfare agencies and population-based studies are used to estimate prevalence and incidence. Main causes for severe visual impairment and blindness are age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic eye diseases. We observed a relative decline of the incidence of severe visual impairment and blindness over the last decades, which is primarily due to improved ophthalmic care and better treatment options. However, the absolute number of subjects with severe visual impairment and blindness increases due to population ageing. This will cause significant social and economic challenges in the future.