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New research · Ophthalmology
The British journal of ophthalmology · 22h
Cohort studyThe British journal of ophthalmology · 2026

Nationwide age-, sex-, cause-specific burden of blindness and vision impairment in China.

Xiao Guo, Ruilin Xiong, Jingwei Yao … Wei Wang
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OphthalmologyCohort study

Vision impairment affected 767.4 million people in China in 2021.

Nationwide age-, sex-, cause-specific burden of blindness and vision impairment in China.

Xiao Guo … Wei Wang
The British journal of ophthalmology · 2026
Background

Despite over 90% of vision impairment (vision impairment) being preventable, in China, a routine screening programme is currently unavailable in primary healthcare.

Methods

Estimated annual percentage changes (estimated annual percentage changes) assessed trends, and Bayesian age-period-cohort models projected burden to 2040.

n = 767.4 million VI cases
Results

people found to have poor eyesight - blurred vision, uncorrected refractive errors, or blindness

YLD rate per 100,000 596.40 (95% CI 72 to 1240.40)
null 0
72
1240.40
CI excludes the null - significant
More results

Population ageing emerged as the predominant driver, accounting for 164.25% of the cataract-related burden increase.

Women had a higher burden than men (53.79% of cases; 54.87% of years lived with disability), and the burden peaked at older ages.

More results

Uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts were the leading aetiologies, constituting 50.65% of moderate vision impairment and 35.08% of blindness.

Projections indicate that by 2040, the age-standardised years lived with disability rate for vision impairment may nearly double from 2021 levels, reaching 596.4 (95% UI 72.0 to 1240.4) per 100 000 population.

“
Conclusion

Vision impairment is a growing public health challenge in China, driven primarily by ageing. Many cases are preventable, underscoring the need for targeted interventions, particularly among women and older adults.

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