What to know
- The Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS) Modeled Estimates of Glaucoma are CDC's primary estimates of the prevalence of glaucoma in the United States.
- VEHSS used a statistical model to combine multiple sources of data available in VEHSS to produce these estimates.
- Glaucoma is a common age-related eye disease that can cause permanent vision loss, with an estimated 4.22 million and 1.5 million Americans living with glaucoma and vision-affecting glaucoma, respectively, in 2022.
Glaucoma data
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Glaucoma prevalence estimates at a glance
Highlighted results
In 2022, an estimated 4.2 million Americans of all ages were living with glaucoma, including 1.5 million people with vision-affecting glaucoma. Non-Hispanic Black people had the highest crude prevalence rate of glaucoma (1.97%) and vision-affecting glaucoma (0.74%). Females had higher prevalence rates than males for glaucoma (1.36% vs. 1.17%) and vision-affecting glaucoma (0.48% vs. 0.41%).
National Prevalence of Glaucoma in 2022 (95% Uncertainty Interval*)
| Any Glaucoma | Vision-Affecting Glaucoma | Non-Vision-Affecting Glaucoma | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 4,225,000 (3,461,000-5,234,000) | 1,488,000 (1,168,000-1,904,000) | 2,737,000 (1,861,000-3,755,000) |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 2,287,000 (1,774,000-2,872,000) | 803,000 (607,000-1,052,000) | 1,484,000 (910,000-2,135,000) |
| Male | 1,938,000 (1,534,000-2,438,000) | 685,000 (509,000-899,000) | 1,253,000 (804,000-1,771,000) |
| Race | |||
| Black, non-Hispanic | 829,000 (617,000-1,072,000) | 311,000 (225,000-413,000) | 518,000 (271,000-773,000) |
| Hispanic, any race | 432,000 (319,000-563,000) | 158,000 (111,000-221,000) | 274,000 (152,000-411,000) |
| Other | 281,000 (206,000-368,000) | 103,000 (72,000-143,000) | 178,000 (96,000-268,000) |
| White, non-Hispanic | 2,682,000 (2,061,000-3,488,000) | 915,000 (679,000-1,227,000) | 1,767,000 (1,052,000-2,624,000) |
| Age | |||
| 0-39 years | 84,000 (55,000-119,000) | 22,000 (0-77,000) | 62,000 (6,000-114,000) |
| 40-64 years | 1,137,000 (874,000-1,452,000) | 407,000 (289,000-560,000) | 731,000 (430,000-1,066,000) |
| 65-84 years | 2,458,000 (1,912,000-3,118,000) | 830,000 (616,000-1,094,000) | 1,628,000 (1,010,000-2,345,000) |
| 85 years and older | 546,000 (380,000-756,000) | 229,000 (156,000-320,000) | 316,000 (134,000-542,000) |
*The 95% uncertainty interval, also called a credible interval, represents the range of uncertainty around the estimate based on the Bayesian simulation model from which these estimates were derived. It indicates there is a 95% probability the true estimate lies within the interval .
Figure 1. Percentage of 2022 U.S. Resident Population With Glaucoma and Vision-Affecting Glaucoma, by Age Group
Figure 2. Percentage of 2022 U.S. Resident Population with Glaucoma, by Vision-Affecting Stage and by Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Figure 3. Percentage of 2022 U.S. Resident Population with Any Glaucoma or Vision-Affecting Glaucoma, by County
View detailed results in VEHSS Data Explorer
- State-level and county-level maps or tables and figures showing all states
- National-level figure by detailed age groups
- Compare prevalence of glaucoma by vision-affecting vs. non-vision affecting stage
Methods
Predicted prevalence rates and prevalence counts created using a statistical modeling approach.
- National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) graded retinal images and visual field (2005-2008)
- American Community Survey (ACS) national, state and county population estimates (2022)
- Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims (2019) and MarketScan commercial insurance claims (2016) for age pattern
- Abstracted data from published examination studies
- Any glaucoma: open or closed angle glaucoma in either eye.
- Vision-affecting glaucoma: any glaucoma with a visual field abnormality.
- Non-vision-affecting glaucoma: any glaucoma without a visual field abnormality.
Released 2024; estimates based on 2022 population estimates.
Ehrlich, J. R., Burke-Conte, Z., Wittenborn, J. S., Saaddine, J., Omura, J. D., Friedman, D. S., Flaxman, A. D., & Rein, D. B. (2024). Prevalence of Glaucoma Among US Adults in 2022. JAMA Ophthalmology.
Stage
- Any glaucoma
- Vision-affecting glaucoma
- Non-vision-affecting glaucoma
Age Group*
- All ages
- Major age groups (0-39, 40-64, 65-84, ≥85 years)
- Detailed age groups (5-year groups)
Sex
- All
- Female
- Male
Race/Ethnicity
- All racial and ethnic groups
- Black, non-Hispanic
- Hispanic
- White, non-Hispanic
- Other racial and ethnic groups, non-Hispanic
Data Type
- Crude prevalence
*Note that we report glaucoma for all ages, but we estimate zero glaucoma prevalence under age 18 years because the underlying data is based on case-definitions that only include adult-onset glaucoma.
Other glaucoma indicators in the VEHSS Data Explorer
The VEHSS Modeled Estimates are CDC's primary measure of the percentage of people with glaucoma in the United States by state, by county, and across different age groups, racial and ethnic groups, and sex. These estimates are created by combining prevalence information from multiple data sources, many of which are also separately available in the VEHSS Data Explorer and Data Portal. While these individual data sources provide specific and useful information about glaucoma prevalence, they each have inherent limitations and do not provide comprehensive prevalence measures on their own. Readers should consider all sources when deciding which indicator and data source to use to fit their specific information needs.
Self-report measures: VEHSS contains estimates of people who reported that a doctor ever told them they had glaucoma from the National Health Interview Survey. These estimates provide a measure of how many people are aware they have glaucoma, whereas the prevalence estimates measure glaucoma whether it is diagnosed or not.
Examination-based glaucoma: VEHSS contains prevalence estimates of measured glaucoma from NHANES. This is one of the primary inputs into the modeled prevalence estimate. These estimates are available in the VEHSS Data Explorer but are only available at the national level, were last collected in 2008, and do not incorporate statistical corrections and adjustments included in the VEHSS modeled estimates.
Diagnosed glaucoma: The VEHSS Data Explorer contains information on patients with diagnosed glaucoma from administrative claims data, including Medicare, Medicaid, commercial medical insurance, managed vision care insurance, and the Military Health System, in addition to electronic health record registry data from the IRIS Registry. These data use diagnosis codes to measure the percentage of patients in each dataset who had a claim or encounter containing a glaucoma diagnosis code during a calendar year. These datasets provide large samples of millions of patients each and include additional detail on glaucoma prevalence by clinical stages. However, these data sources are convenience samples, will only capture diagnosed and treated glaucoma, and cannot provide nationally representative estimates.
Utilization measures: The VEHSS Data Explorer contains information on the proportion of people with diagnosed glaucoma who received glaucoma treatment covered by Medicare, Medicaid, commercial medical insurance (MarketScan), and managed vision care (VSP) programs, as well as services included in ophthalmology electronic health records summarized by the IRIS Registry. These estimates measure the proportion of patients who had a glaucoma diagnosis during a calendar year and received at least one medical service related to glaucoma treatment, including laser surgery, drains, other surgeries, and prescription drugs.
Summary
The VEHSS Modeled Estimates of glaucoma are CDC’s primary measure of the percentage of U.S. residents who have glaucoma, where they live, and who they are. These estimates are based on data that identify glaucoma by retinal imaging and visual field assessment, and therefore represents total prevalence and not just diagnosed prevalence, such as would be measured in a self-report survey or in claims data. That said, users should consider the differences in available measures when determining the most appropriate data source and measure that best meets their data needs.