Diagnosed prevalent cases of diabetic retinopathy in the nine major markets (9MM*) are expected to increase from 14.3 million in 2019 to 17.8 million in 2029, at an annual growth rate (AGR) of 2.4%, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Diabetic Retinopathy – Epidemiology Forecast Report to 2029’, reveals that nearly 28% of all diagnosed prevalent cases of diabetic retinopathy occur in the population ages 60–69 years, followed by the age group 70–79 years with nearly 21%.

Arunkumar N.V, MPH, Senior Epidemiologist at GlobalData, comments: “The major drivers for this prevalence trend may include modernization, ageing, life style, inactivity, and early diagnosis of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy by improved surveillance and detection, as well as the improved survival because of the improvement in diabetic care.”

The trends in diagnosed prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is strongly dependent on the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), because only persons with DM can have diabetic retinopathy. The risk factors are mainly related to age, the duration of diabetes, and glycemic control. Factors such as obesity, dyslipidemia, and nephropathy were also variably associated with diabetic retinopathy. Arunkumar N.V, concludes: “Regular screening is the best method for early detection of diabetic retinopathy and is strongly recommended since early detection has the best chance of preventing complications like vision threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR), diabetic macular edema (DME) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The substantial increase in risk factors and comorbidities like hypertension, adiposity and sedentary life style may be driving the number of diagnosed prevalent cases to rise in the elderly population.”

*9MM: The US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Japan, Australia, and China