Incidence and Prevalence
GA is a leading cause of visual impairment in the elderly, affecting more than 5 million people worldwide. GA is responsible for approximately 20% of all cases of legal blindness in the United States and 26% of cases in the United Kingdom.
A study in people with European ancestry showed the prevalence of GA (% of people with GA in the population) rises sharply with age, increasing approximately 4-fold with every decade of life beyond the age of 50 years; from 0.7% in people aged 70 years, to 2.9% in people aged 80 years and 11.3% at 90 years of age15.Prevalence of GA increases significantly with age with approximately 1 in 5 persons aged 85 and above having GA in at least one eye8,15