{
  "abstract": "Background Despite over 90% of vision impairment (VI) being preventable, in China, a routine screening programme is currently unavailable in primary healthcare. Robust epidemiological evidence is needed to guide national strategies.Method Using Global Burden of Disease 2021 data, we estimated prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), and age-standardized rates of VI by cause and severity. Temporal changes were decomposed into contributions from population growth, ageing, and shifts in age-specific prevalence. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) assessed trends, and Bayesian age–period–cohort models projected burden to 2040.Results In 2021, China had 767.4 million (95% UI 576.6 to 1009.3) VI cases, comprising: 324.4 million (237.7 to 435.4) uncorrected presbyopia, 4.1 million (3.4 to 5.0) moderate VI, 46.7 million (39.4 to 55.3) severe VI and 8.6 million (7.0 to 10.2) blindness. Population ageing emerged as the predominant driver, accounting for 164.25% of the cataract-related burden increase. Women had a higher burden than men (53.79% of cases; 54.87% of YLDs), and the burden peaked at older ages. Uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts were the leading aetiologies, constituting 50.65% of moderate VI and 35.08% of blindness. Projections indicate that by 2040, the age-standardised YLD rate for VI may nearly double from 2021 levels, reaching 596.4 (95% UI 72.0 to 1240.4) per 100 000 population.Conclusions VI is a growing public health challenge in China, driven primarily by ageing. Many cases are preventable, underscoring the need for targeted interventions, particularly among women and older adults.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China",
        "Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Major Blinding Eye Diseases Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou, China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiao Guo"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China",
        "Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Major Blinding Eye Diseases Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou, China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Ruilin Xiong"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Jingwei Yao"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Huangdong Li"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Ziyu Zhu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Yanping Chen"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Wenyong Huang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China",
        "Experimental Ophthalmology, School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China",
        "Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Mingguang He"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China",
        "Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Major Blinding Eye Diseases Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou, China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China",
        "Hainan Eye Hospital and Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Haikou, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Wei Wang"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Nationwide age-, sex-, cause-specific burden of blindness and vision impairment in China",
  "uid": "e257f35d-493e-5f05-821a-4a55e2051f49"
}