Prevalence of cataract and pseudophakia/aphakia among adults in the United States.

TLDR: The number of Americans affected by cataract and undergoingCataract surgery will dramatically increase over the next 20 years as the US population ages.

Abstract: Objectives: To determine the prevalence of cataract and pseudophakia/aphakia in the United States and to project the expected change in these prevalence figures by 2020Methods: Summary prevalence estimates of cataract and of pseudophakia/aphakia were prepared separately for black white and Hispanic persons (for whom only cataract surgery data were available) in 5-year age intervals starting at 40 years for women and men The estimates were based on a standardized definition of various types of cataract: cortical, greater than 25% of the lens involved, posterior subcapsular, present according to the grading system used in each study; and nuclear, greater than or equal to the penultimate grade in the system used Data were collected from major population-based studies in the United States, and, where appropriate, Australia, Barbados, and Western Europe The age-, gender-, and race/ethnicity-specific rates were applied to 2000 US Census data, and projected population figures for 2020, to obtain overall estimatesResults: An estimated 205 million (172%) Americans older than 40 years have cataract in either eye, and 61 million (51%) have pseudophakia/aphakia Women have a significantly (odds ratio=137; 95% confidence interval, 126-150) higher age-adjusted prevalence of cataract than men in the United States The total number of persons who have cataract is estimated to rise to 301 million by 2020; and for those who are expected to have pseudophakia/aphakia, to 95 millionConclusion: The number of Americans affected by cataract and undergoing cataract surgery will dramatically increase over the next 20 years as the US population ages