Temporal Trends in Public Interest in Glaucoma: An Infodemiological Analysis Using Google Trends

Background In recent years, glaucoma awareness campaigns have been increasingly implemented worldwide. However, the impact of glaucoma awareness campaigns on public interest remains unclear. This study evaluated temporal trends in public interest in glaucoma in Japan and worldwide using Google Trends and explored their potential association with glaucoma awareness campaigns. Methodology This infodemiological study used Google Trends to evaluate the temporal changes in public interest in glaucoma. Relative search volume (RSV) for "glaucoma" was obtained in Japan and worldwide from January 2004 to December 2025 and used as a surrogate measure of public interest. Temporal trends in RSV were evaluated using segmented regression analysis with both prespecified breakpoints corresponding to the launch of glaucoma awareness campaigns and data-driven breakpoints estimated from the observed trends. Results Temporal trends in RSV were evaluated in Japan and worldwide. Worldwide, the RSV slope significantly increased after the launch of World Glaucoma Week in 2008 (+8.44 points/year, P<0.001), with a data-driven breakpoint at 2008. In Japan, the slope significantly increased after the launch of the Light Up in Green campaign in 2015 (+2.24 points/year, P<0.001), with a data-driven breakpoint at 2017. Conclusions Our results demonstrate an increase in public interest in glaucoma over the past decade in Japan and worldwide, alongside the expansion of glaucoma awareness activities.