Abstract
Background Epidemiological studies describe the distribution of glaucoma and its risk factors
in the general population.
Material and Methods Epidemiological findings from population-based studies were extrapolated for the
situation in Germany, in order to estimate current and future prevalence of glaucoma
by using official population statistics for Germany.
Results The prevalence of glaucoma in the adult population above 40 years of age is currently
2.1%, resulting in 980 thousand subjects with glaucoma, plus at least one more million
subjects with ocular hypertension (OHT). Two thirds of all glaucoma cases are above
70 years of age. By 2060, the prevalence of glaucoma will increase to 2.8%, due to
the aging of the population.
Conclusions Despite a decrease in the population size, glaucoma will become more prevalent in
the future.
Keywords
glaucoma - epidemiology - prevalence - incidence - Germany
