Population-based survey of prevalence, causes, and risk factors for blindness and visual impairment in an aging Chinese metropolitan population
Author:
Corresponding Author:

Qiang Wu. Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China. qiang.wu@shsmu.edu.cn; qiangwusubmission@163.com

Affiliation:

Clc Number:

Fund Project:

Supported by Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission Foundation (No.201440029).

  • Article
  • |
  • Figures
  • |
  • Metrics
  • |
  • Reference
  • |
  • Related
  • |
  • Cited by
  • |
  • Materials
  • |
  • Comments
    Abstract:

    AIM: To assess the prevalence, causes, and risk factors for blindness and visual impairment among elderly (>60 years of age) Chinese people in a metropolitan area of Shanghai, China. METHODS: Random cluster sampling was conducted to identify participants among residents ≥60 years of age living in the Xietu Block, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China. Presenting visual acuity (PVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were checked by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) visual chart. All eligible participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination. Blindness and visual impairment were defined according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. RESULTS: A total of 4190 persons (1688 men and 2502 women) participated in the study, and the response rate was 91.1%. Based on PVA, the prevalence of blindness was 1.1% and that of visual impairment was 7.6%. Based on BCVA, the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment decreased to 0.9% and 3.9%, respectively. Older (>80 years of age) women, with low educational levels and smoking habits, exhibited a significantly greater chance for blindness and visual impairment than did those with high educational levels and no smoking habits (P<0.05). Based on PVA and BCVA, the main causes of blindness were cataract, myopic maculopathy, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). CONCLUSION: Our findings help to identify the population in need of intervention, to highlight the need for additional eye healthcare services in urban China.

    Reference
    Related
    Cited by
Get Citation

Jian-Yan Hu, Liang Yan, Yong-Dong Chen, et al. Population-based survey of prevalence, causes, and risk factors for blindness and visual impairment in an aging Chinese metropolitan population. Int J Ophthalmol, 2017,10(1):140-147

Copy
Share
Article Metrics
  • Abstract:
  • PDF:
  • HTML:
  • Cited by:
Publication History
  • Received:August 20,2015
  • Revised:July 23,2016
  • Adopted:
  • Online: January 04,2017
  • Published: