Prevalence of visual impairment among the elderly: can it be corrected?

• Published in: Acta ophthalmologica (Oxford, England) Vol. 90; no. s249
• Main Authors: YEKTA, AA, HASHEMI, H, KHABAZKHOOB, M, SHAFAEE, SH, OSTADIMOGHADDAM, H, AZIMI, A, HERAVIAN, J, REZVAN, F, YEKTA, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2012; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Ophthalmology
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2012.T017.x
• ISSN: 1755-375X

Purpose To determine the prevalence of visual impairment,low vision and blindness among the elderly of Sari in north of Iran. Methods Through cluster random sampling, 60 clusters were selected, out of which 20 people were systematically selected for this study. Participants received eye examinations including vision, actual visual acuity (AVA), optimal visual acuity (OVA) and refraction. Non‐cycloplegic refraction was performed with an auto refractometer and the results were checked with retinoscopy and subjective refraction. Visual impairment , low vision and blind were defined as vision worse than 20/60, 20/60 to 20/400 and worse than 20/400 in the better eye respectively. Results In this study, 937 people with mean age of 64.7±7.5 years old (from 55 to 87 years) were investigated. The prevalence of visual impairment, blindness, and low vision, based on actual visual acuity (AVA), were 11.0% (9.0‐13.0 CI 95%), 3.7% (2.5‐5.0 CI 95%), and 7.4% (5.7‐9.0 CI 95%), respectively. These findings were 3.7% (2.3‐5.1 CI 95%), 1% (0.2‐1.7 CI95%), and 2.7% (1.5‐3.9 CI 95%), based on OVA respectively. No significant difference was found between genders, but visual impairment was significantly higher in people over 75 years as compared with 55‐59 years old. The most common reasons for visual impairment based on AVA were refractive errors (68.6%) and cataract (16.7%). After correcting refractive errors, the most common causes of visual impairment were cataract (61.3%) and diabetic retinopathy (25.8%). Conclusion Refractive errors and cataract are the main causes of visual impairment in Iranian elderly. Correcting refractive errors and cataract reduces 85% of visual impairment based on AVA.