Abstract
BackgroundTo evaluate global burden of refraction disorders by year, age, region, gender, socioeconomic status and other national characteristics in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and prevalence from Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2019 and World Bank Open Data 2019.MethodsGlobal, regional, and national DALY numbers, crude DALY rates, age-standardized DALY and prevalence rates of refraction disorders were acquired from the GBD study 2019. Mobile cellular subscriptions, urban population, GDP per capita, access to electricity and total fertility rate were obtained from the World Bank to explore the factors that influenced the health burden of refraction disorders. Kruskal-Wallis test, linear regression and multiple linear regression were performed to evaluate the associations between the health burden with socioeconomic levels and other national characteristics. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used to investigate the gender disparity.ResultsGlobally, age-standardized DALY rates of refraction disorders decreased from 88.9 (95% UI: 60.5–120.3) in 1990 to 81.5 (95% UI: 55.0–114.8) in 2019, and might fall to 73.16 (95% UI: 67.81–78.51) by 2050. Age-standardized prevalence rates would also reduce to 1830 (95% UI: 1700–1960) by 2050, from 2080 (95% UI: 1870–2310) in 1990 to 1960 (95% UI: 1750–2180) in 2019. In low SDI region, age-standardized DALY rates (equation: Y = 114.05*X + 27.88) and prevalence rates (equation: Y = 3171.1*X + 403.2) were positively correlated with SDI in linear regression respectively. East Asia had the highest blindness rate caused by refraction disorders in terms of age-standardized DALY rates (11.20, 95% UI: 7.38–16.36). Gender inequality was found among different age groups and SDI regions.ConclusionHealth burden of refraction disorders decreased in recent years, and may continue to alleviate in the next three decades. Older ages, females and lower socioeconomic status were associated with higher refraction disorders health burden.
Highlights
To evaluate global burden of refraction disorders by year, age, region, gender, socioeconomic status and other national characteristics in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and prevalence from Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2019 and World Bank Open Data 2019
Synopsis We explored the health burden caused by refraction disorders using the GBD data 2019, which requires more public health policies and studies
The global DALYs of refraction disorders increased by 61.0% from 4.1 (95% Uncertainty intervals (UI): 2.8–5.8) million in 1990 to 6.6 (95% UI: 4.4–9.3) million in 2019 (Fig. 1A)
Summary
To evaluate global burden of refraction disorders by year, age, region, gender, socioeconomic status and other national characteristics in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and prevalence from Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2019 and World Bank Open Data 2019. Refraction disorders affect a large proportion of the world population, and is the major cause of visual impairment and second cause of blindness [1]. By 2050, an estimated 1.8 billion people will suffer from vision loss due to refraction disorders. The productivity loss has been estimated at $202 billion per annum after adjustment for country specific labor force participation and employment rates, which are mainly caused by vision loss [4, 5]. Visual impairment due to refraction disorders is a preventable cause of disability. The health burden of refraction disorders has been assessed by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). More than 90% people with visual impairment caused by refraction error can be prevented with existing cost-effective interventions [6]. The year of 2020 marks the culmination of a global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, preceded by the publication of a WHO World Report on Vision [7] and the 73rd World Health Assembly resolution on integrated people-centered eye care
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
