The burden of total prevalent cases (diagnosed and undiagnosed) of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is expected to increase at an annual growth rate (AGR) of 2% from around 7.3 million cases in 2020 to 8.84 million in 2030 in the seven major markets (7MM*), according to GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company notes that the increase is partly attributed to the moderately rising trend in prevalence in the 7MM, combined with underlying demographic changes in the respective markets.

POAG is an asymptomatic eye disease that causes damage to the eye’s optic nerve, resulting in progressive, irreversible vision loss. It is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, especially in elderly people.

According to GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Glaucoma: Epidemiology Forecast to 2030’, there will be an increasing trend of total and diagnosed prevalent cases of POAG in all 7MM in the next 10 years, driven primarily by the growing aging population, as well as individuals with more comorbid conditions that worsen susceptibility, and delayed access to health care facilities.

According to GlobalData, more than half of POAG cases remained undiagnosed in the 7MM in 2020, as the disease is mostly asymptomatic in the earlier stage before progressing to vision loss which requires medical intervention.

Bishal Bhandari, PhD, Senior Epidemiologist at GlobalData, comments: “The increasing number of the aging population with undiagnosed POAG suggests that the POAG related blindness will continue to rise even with improvements in surgical and laser treatment and the development of newer medications and eye drops.”

*7MM: The US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan