Prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma in mainland China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To estimate the prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in mainland China comprehensively and to provide references for the prevention of POAG.Methods Population-based studies on POAG prevalence in mainland China published from January 1,1990 to July 1,2015 were systemically searched through China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI),PubMed,EMbase,and Wanfang Databases and Technology Journal Databases (VIP).Duplicate checking was performed using Note Express2 software and analyses were conducted with Comprehensive Meta Analysis (Version 2.2.064).Results Totally 20 articles (12 in Chinese and 8 in English)reporting 1 254 POAG cases among 201 111 persons in 15 provinces or municipalities of China were included.The reported overall prevalence of POAG was 0.8% (95% confidence interval95%CI=0.6%-1.2%) among the population studied.Subgroup analyses revealed significantly higher POAG prevalences among the male population (0.9%,95%CI=0.5%-1.6%) than among the female (0.8%,95%CI=0.5%-1.4%)(Z=2.229,P=0.038) and among the population in Southern China (0.9%,95%CI=0.4%-1.8%) than among the population in Northern China (0.8%,95%CI=0.5%-1.2%)(Z=2.332,P=0.034).The results of funnel plot and Egger inspection showed no significant publication bias.Conclusion The prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma is relatively low among Chinese population and the prevalence is higher among the males and the population in southern regions than among the females and the population in northern regions in China.