Rising Glaucoma Burden and Innovative Treatment Horizons in the UK

A recent national projection analysis indicates glaucoma prevalence in people aged over 40 will rise sharply, creating substantial long‑term service demand. The number of people over 40 with glaucoma is projected to exceed 1.6 million by 2060, roughly a 60% increase on recent estimates.

Demographic drivers include an aging population and growth in higher‑risk, ethnically diverse groups that expand the at‑risk denominator. A rising share of older age bands and differing age structures across ethnic groups will concentrate cases earlier in some populations; the direction and magnitude of the rise are therefore predictable over the next four decades.

Prevalence is highest among people of African ancestry and rises steeply with advancing age. That distribution highlights communities likely to account for a growing share of cases and where case‑finding yield may be higher.

New laboratory work identifies a metabolically sensitive drainage‑cell subtype that may precede conventional outflow dysfunction, offering a plausible mechanistic pathway for early disease evolution. These cells appear more vulnerable to metabolic stress and could influence outflow resistance through altered cellular metabolism and extracellular matrix handling; clinical validation is pending.