Socioeconomic and Health-Related Factors Associated with Glaucoma Prevalence and Awareness: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide; however, awareness remains low in many countries, including Korea. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of glaucoma and the level of glaucoma awareness and to identify socioeconomic and health-related factors associated with these outcomes among Korean adults.Methods: This cross-sectional study used nationally representative data from 13,787 participants aged 40-79 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017-2020). All analyses accounted for the complex sampling design using sampling weights, stratification, and clustering. The Rao-Scott chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with glaucoma prevalence and awareness.Results: The overall prevalence of glaucoma was 4.7%, and only 18.9% of individuals with glaucoma were aware of their condition. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that older age, male sex, and hypertension were significantly associated with higher glaucoma prevalence (p<.05). In contrast, glaucoma awareness increased with age but was significantly lower among individuals with low household income.Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for targeted community-based interventions and nurse-led education programs to improve glaucoma awareness and promote early detection, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.