Global Incidence of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Forecasting Study.

Introduction Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a prevalent exudative maculopathy; however, exact details of its incidence and a global estimate of its annual incidence are lacking. It is paramount to understand the details of the incidence of CSC when discussing its societal and personal impact, the impact of medicine shortages and initiatives for healthcare policies, and organization of retinal service.Methods In this study, we systematically reviewed the literature on the incidence of CSC and performed meta-analyses to provide an age-stratified estimate of its incidence. By using population statistics from the United Nations Population Division, we were able to estimate the global and country-specific incidence of CSC in 2025 and forecast until 2050.Results Seven eligible studies included a total of 324,954 new patients with CSC during their time of investigation. The summary estimate incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were 47.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 31.7-61.7) for individuals 30-39 years, 71.8 (95% CI 41.7-109.7) for individuals 40-49 years, 58.5 (95% CI 29.9-96.1) for individuals 50-59 years, and 36.2 (95% CI 16.8-62.6) for individuals 60-69 years. We confirmed male sex as a risk factor (odds ratio 2.73, P < 0.0001), and found that male individuals were significantly younger than female individuals at onset of CSC (average difference of 3.30 years, P < 0.0001). We estimated that in 2025, 1.97 million individuals globally will develop CSC, and that the incidence will increase to 2.03 million individuals in 2030, 2.30 million individuals in 2040, and 2.43 million individuals in 2050. The CSC incidence peaked between 40 and 49 years underscoring the significance in working-age individuals.Conclusion Numbers presented in this study highlight that CSC is one of the more prevalent maculopathies in our world and underscores the importance of education, research, and healthcare planning related to CSC.