Lifetime incidence of low vision and blindness from glaucoma in a large public ophthalmology department: a retrospective cohort study

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide [ 1 ]. Although treatment can slow disease progression, glaucoma continues to account for a substantial proportion of global blindness due to its often-asymptomatic onset and the absence of curative therapy. Despite this burden, few studies have quantified the lifetime incidence of glaucoma-related blindness and visual impairment and the most recent was conducted more than a decade ago [ 2 ]. This study examines the real-world incidence of blindness and low vision at the largest public eye centre in New Zealand.