UK glaucoma cases will rise to 1.6m by 2060 amid ‘demographic timebomb’, experts say

Sharp increase in leading cause of irreversible but preventable blindness driven by ageing population and shows need for early diagnosis

New estimates predict at least 1.6 million people in the UK will be living with glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, by 2060.

The figure is much higher than the current 1.1 million people estimated to have the condition, research published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggests.