OBJECTIVE: To describe the causes of blindness and visual impairment in a population-based sample of Hispanics. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 4774 Hispanic residents of Santa Cruz and Pima Counties in Southern Arizona aged 40 years and older who participated in Proyecto VER (Vision Evaluation and Research). TESTING: Subjects were interviewed and underwent a thorough ophthalmic examination. Presenting and best-corrected visual acuity was determined using the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol, followed by a standardized ophthalmic examination to determine the causes of visual loss. Anterior and posterior segment specialists in ophthalmology confirmed the causes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Causes of visual loss (best-corrected acuity worse than 20/40). RESULTS: The response rate of eligible participants was more than 70%. Best-corrected acuity in the better seeing eye worse than 20/40 increased from 0.3% in those aged 40 to 49 to 5.6% in those aged 65 and older. The leading cause was cataract, accounting for 42% of all visual loss, followed by age-related macular degeneration (15%), and diabetic retinopathy (13%). Among 14 people who were bilaterally blind, open-angle glaucoma was the leading cause. Women had higher age-adjusted prevalence of severe cataract compared with men and were more likely to be visually impaired from cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and open-angle glaucoma, although gender differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Causes of visual impairment differ from those reported in Caucasian populations, with open-angle glaucoma being the leading cause of blindness. Further work on gender-based obstacles to eye care in the Hispanic community may be warranted.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the causes of blindness and visual impairment in a population-based sample of Hispanics. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 4774 Hispanic residents of Santa Cruz and Pima Counties in Southern Arizona aged 40 years and older who participated in Proyecto VER (Vision Evaluation and Research). TESTING: Subjects were interviewed and underwent a thorough ophthalmic examination. Presenting and best-corrected visual acuity was determined using the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol, followed by a standardized ophthalmic examination to determine the causes of visual loss. Anterior and posterior segment specialists in ophthalmology confirmed the causes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Causes of visual loss (best-corrected acuity worse than 20/40). RESULTS: The response rate of eligible participants was more than 70%. Best-corrected acuity in the better seeing eye worse than 20/40 increased from 0.3% in those aged 40 to 49 to 5.6% in those aged 65 and older. The leading cause was cataract, accounting for 42% of all visual loss, followed by age-related macular degeneration (15%), and diabetic retinopathy (13%). Among 14 people who were bilaterally blind, open-angle glaucoma was the leading cause. Women had higher age-adjusted prevalence of severe cataract compared with men and were more likely to be visually impaired from cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and open-angle glaucoma, although gender differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Causes of visual impairment differ from those reported in Caucasian populations, with open-angle glaucoma being the leading cause of blindness. Further work on gender-based obstacles to eye care in the Hispanic community may be warranted.
Authors: Jie Jin Wang; Robert J Ross; Jingsheng Tuo; George Burlutsky; Ava G Tan; Chi-Chao Chan; Emmanuel J Favaloro; Andrew Williams; Paul Mitchell Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2007-08-02 Impact factor: 12.079
Authors: Steven L Mansberger; Francine C Romero; Nicole H Smith; Chris A Johnson; George A Cioffi; Beth Edmunds; Dongseok Choi; Thomas M Becker Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2005-05 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Kirk R Daffner; Anna E Haring; Brittany R Alperin; Tatyana Y Zhuravleva; Katherine K Mott; Phillip J Holcomb Journal: Neuroimage Date: 2012-11-13 Impact factor: 6.556