Prevalence of Blinding Retinal Conditions High in the United States

TUESDAY, March 24, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. burden of blinding retinal conditions is high, according to a meta-analysis published online March 19 in JAMA Ophthalmology.T.Y. Alvin Liu, M.D., from the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetic macular edema (DME), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in the United States. The analysis included data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2008 and 2017-March 2020), Medicare fee-for-service claims (2017 to 2019), and IBM MarketScan commercial insurance claims (2016), as well as population-based studies.The researchers report that for 2022, age-standardized prevalence estimates were 5,677 per 100,000 people for AMD; 2,710 for DR; 317 for DME; and 214 for RVO. Prevalence was higher in men than women for all conditions. White adults had 1.7-fold higher AMD prevalence than Black adults and had doubled RVO prevalence compared with Hispanic individuals. Black individuals had more than doubled DR prevalence and 4.6-fold higher DME prevalence than White individuals. Compared with White individuals, Hispanic individuals had 1.8-fold higher DR prevalence and 3.7-fold higher DME prevalence. State-level prevalence rates showed variance for all conditions."The racial, ethnic, and regional disparities highlighted in this study can aid future planning of U.S. health care resources, providing guidance for the most at-risk communities and regions that would benefit from screening initiatives and/or early interventions," the authors write.Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Genentech/Roche, which funded the study.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Prevalence of Blinding Retinal Conditions High in the United States

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