Prevalence of optic disc drusen: A systematic review, meta-analysis and forecasting study

Optic disc drusen (ODD) are calcium-containing deposits in the optic nerve head, capable of causing visual field defects and sudden visual loss. The underlying pathophysiology remains inadequately understood and treatment options are missing. In this paper, we systematically reviewed prevalence studies of ODD in non-selected populations to provide an overview of its prevalence, conducted meta-analyses to determine modality-specific prevalence estimates and performed a forecasting study to estimate current and future global population number of individuals with ODD. We searched 11 literature databases on 25 October 2022 for prevalence studies of ODD in non-selected populations. Eight eligible studies provided data from a total of 27 463 individuals. Prevalence estimates were stratified according to diagnostic modalities: ophthalmoscopy 0.37% (95% CI: 0.10-0.95%), fundus photography 0.12% (95% CI: 0.03-0.24%), spectral domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging 2.21% (95% CI: 1.25-3.42%) and histopathology 1.82% (95% CI: 1.32-2.38%). Using histopathology-based summary prevalence estimate, we forecast 145 million individuals with ODD currently, a number expected to increase further due to world population growth. These numbers underscore the importance of including ODD in health education and highlight the necessity of continuing research in ODD.