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

Glaucoma is most common in people over 50 and does not usually exhibit symptoms, highlighting the need for regular checks. Photograph: Frank Baron/The Guardian

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.