Study reveals sex differences in the global burden of glaucoma

Worldwide, the burden of glaucoma–quantified as health loss–is higher in men than in women, according to a recent analysis published in


Acta Ophthalmologica


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The burden of glaucoma was estimated as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), or the total number of years lost to illness, disability, or premature death. DALY rates decreased consistently from 10.7 in 1990 to 9.4 in 2017 among men and from 8.8 in 1990 to 8.0 in 2017 among women. In 2017, the global average age-standardized DALY rates were 11.6 in women and 14.9 in men.

The analysis also found that older age and lower socioeconomic status are associated with greater sex differences in the burden of glaucoma.

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