Global estimates on the number of people blind or visually impaired by cataract: a meta-analysis from 2000 to 2020.

BACKGROUND: To estimate global and regional trends from 2000 to 2020 of the number of persons visually impaired by cataract and their proportion of the total number of vision-impaired individuals. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published population studies and gray literature from 2000 to 2020 was carried out to estimate global and regional trends. We developed prevalence estimates based on modeled distance visual impairment and blindness due to cataract, producing location-, year-, age-, and sex-specific estimates of moderate to severe vision impairment (MSVI presenting visual acuity <6/18, ≥3/60) and blindness (presenting visual acuity <3/60). Estimates are age-standardized using the GBD standard population. RESULTS: In 2020, among overall (all ages) 43.3 million blind and 295 million with MSVI, 17.0 million (39.6%) people were blind and 83.5 million (28.3%) had MSVI due to cataract blind 60% female, MSVI 59% female. From 1990 to 2020, the count of persons blind (MSVI) due to cataract increased by 29.7%(93.1%) whereas the age-standardized global prevalence of cataract-related blindness improved by -27.5% and MSVI increased by 7.2%. The contribution of cataract to the age-standardized prevalence of blindness exceeded the global figure only in South Asia (62.9%) and Southeast Asia and Oceania (47.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The number of people blind and with MSVI due to cataract has risen over the past 30 years, despite a decrease in the age-standardized prevalence of cataract. This indicates that cataract treatment programs have been beneficial, but population growth and aging have outpaced their impact. Growing numbers of cataract blind indicate that more, better-directed, resources are needed to increase global capacity for cataract surgery.

Screening for Open-Angle Glaucoma and Its Effect on Blindness.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of population screening on low vision and blindness from open-angle glaucoma. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: A large population-based screening for glaucoma was conducted in Malmö, Sweden, from 1992 to 1997. A total of 42,497 subjects were invited, of which 32,918 were screened, and 9,579 were non-responders (ie, did not participate). The records of glaucoma patients who had visited the Department of Ophthalmology at Malmö University Hospital from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 2017, were reviewed. Patients diagnosed at or after the screening were assessed for moderate or severe vision impairment, here called low vision, or blindness by the World Health Organization definition. Selection bias was corrected by creating a group of potential screening participants from a comparison group of clinical patients. Main outcome measures were the risk ratios of the cumulative incidence for bilateral low vision or blindness caused by glaucoma in screened patients compared with the potential participants. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of blindness was 0.17% in the screened population versus 0.32% among the potential participants; and for low vision 0.25% versus 0.53%. The risk ratio (95% confidence interval) between the two was 0.52 (0.32-0.84) for blindness and 0.46 (0.31-0.68) for low vision. There were no differences between the proportions of potential confounders in the comparison group and those in the non-responders. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that population screening may reduce bilateral low vision and blindness caused by glaucoma by approximately 50%.

Feasibility of using patient-reported outcome measures with visually impaired children/young people attending paediatric ophthalmology clinics.

OBJECTIVE: To explore feasibility of using child/young person patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) routinely in practice, using vision-specific instruments and paediatric ophthalmology as the exemplar. METHODS: Participants comprised patients aged 8-17 years, with visual impairment or low vision (visual acuity of the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) worse than 0.3 in the better eye), attending the Department of Ophthalmology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK. All participants completed age-appropriate PROMs before attending their outpatient appointment. Half were randomly assigned to completion at home, with the choice of paper-and-pencil or electronic format. The other half were invited to complete PROMs during their hospital appointment, and randomly assigned to completion format. All participants completed a face-to-face survey exploring their attitudes and preferences. Analysis comprised survival analysis, and direct comparisons of proportions, with complementary qualitative data analysis. RESULTS: 93 patients participated. 48 (98%) completing PROMs at home chose the paper-and-pencil format. Completion at home took longer than at hospital (median=20, vs 14 min, p<0.001). Visual acuity was associated with completion time (p=0.007) and missing data (p=0.03). Overall, 52 (60%) reported a preference for completion at home but there was no clear preference for format (37 (43%) preferred either format). CONCLUSION: PROM completion at home ahead of hospital appointments may be preferable for collecting complete, high-quality datasets. Despite equipoise on preference for format, the majority of those completing at home chose the traditional paper-and-pencil format, despite impaired sight. These findings should inform implementation of child/young person PROMs into routine practice.

Epidemiology of visual impairment, sight-threatening or treatment-requiring diabetic eye disease in children and young people in the UK: findings from DECS.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the incidence and causes of sight-threatening diabetes-related eye disease in children living with diabetes in the UK, to inform the national eye screening programme and enable monitoring of trends. METHODS: We undertook a prospective active national surveillance via the British Ophthalmic Surveillance Unit. Eligible cases were children aged 18 years or younger, with type 1 or 2 diabetes, newly diagnosed between January 2015 and February 2017 with sight-threatening diabetic eye disease. RESULTS: Eight children were reported. The annual incidence of all sight-threatening diabetes-related eye disease requiring referral to an ophthalmologist among children living with diabetes (n=8) in the UK was 1.21 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI 0.52 to 2.39) and was largely attributable to cataract (n=5) 0.76 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI 0.25 to 1.77). The incidence of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (n=3) among those eligible for screening (12 to 18 year-olds living with diabetes) was 1.18 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI 0.24 to 3.46). No subjects eligible for certification as visually impaired or blind were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Secondary prevention of visual disability due to retinopathy is currently the sole purpose of national eye screening programmes globally. However, the rarity of treatment-requiring retinopathy in children/young people living with diabetes, alongside growing concerns about suboptimal screening uptake, merit new consideration of the utility of screening for primary prevention of diabetes-related morbidity by using the screening event and findings as a catalyst for better diabetes self-management.

Associação entre diabetes mellitus e doenças oculares em pessoas com deficiência visual / Association between diabetes mellitus and eye diseases in people with visual impairment / Asociación entre diabetes mellitus y enfermedades oculares en personas con discapacidad visual

Objetivo: verificar associação entre diabetes mellitus e doenças oculares em pessoas com deficiência visual. Método: estudo transversal com 51 pessoas com diabetes e deficiência visual, em um centro de reabilitação visual do interior paulista, que participaram de entrevista estruturada, em 2018. Utilizou-se os testes: Kolmogorov Smirnov, Regressão de Poisson, Regressão de Logística Binária, e Correlação de Spearman. Resultados: a maioria das pessoas era cega e relatou que a retinopatia diabética, o glaucoma e a catarata foram causa da deficiência visual; com tempo de diagnóstico do diabetes acima de 109 meses. A catarata apresentou um nível de correlação baixa (r=0,280 e p=0,047), e a retinopatia diabética um nível de correlação moderada (r=0,565 e p=0,000), considerando o tempo de diagnóstico do diabetes. Conclusão: associação estatisticamente significante entre o tipo de diabetes e a retinopatia, e correlação estatisticamente significante entre o tempo de diagnóstico do diabetes, a catarata e a retinopatia diabética.

Objective: to verify the association between diabetes mellitus and eye diseases in people with visual impairment. Method: this cross-sectional study involved 51 people with diabetes and visual impairment at a Visual Rehabilitation Center in São Paulo, who participated in a structured interview in 2018. The tests used were: Kolmogorov Smirnov, Poisson Regression, Binary Logistic Regression, and Spearman Correlation. Results: most participants were blind, reported that diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts were the causes of their visual impairment, and had been diagnosed with diabetes over 109 months earlier. Cataract returned a low level of correlation with time with diagnosis of diabetes (r = 0.280 and p = 0.047), and diabetic retinopathy, moderate correlation (r = 0.565 and p = 0.000). Conclusion: a statistically significant association was found between type of diabetes and retinopathy, and statistically significant correlations between the time diagnosed with diabetes, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

Objetivo: verificar la asociación entre diabetes mellitus y enfermedades oculares en personas con discapacidad visual. Método: este estudio transversal involucró a 51 personas con diabetes y discapacidad visual en un Centro de Rehabilitación Visual en São Paulo, quienes participaron en una entrevista estructurada en 2018.Las pruebas utilizadas fueron: Kolmogorov Smirnov, Regresión de Poisson, Regresión Logística Binaria y Spearman Correlación. Resultados: la mayoría de los participantes eran ciegos, informaron que la retinopatía diabética, el glaucoma y las cataratas eran las causas de su discapacidad visual y habían sido diagnosticados con diabetes más de 109 meses antes. La catarata devolvió un bajo nivel de correlación con el tiempo con el diagnóstico de diabetes (r = 0,280 yp = 0,047) y la retinopatía diabética, correlación moderada (r = 0,565 yp = 0,000). Conclusión: se encontró asociación estadísticamente significativa entre tipo de diabetes y retinopatía, y correlaciones estadísticamente significativas entre el tiempo de diagnóstico de diabetes, cataratas y retinopatía diabética.

Prevalence and associated factors of cataract and cataract-related blindness in the Russian Ural Eye and Medical Study.

To assess the prevalence of cataract and cataract surgery in a population from Russia, we conducted the population-based Ural Eye and Medical Study with 5899 participants (80.5% out of 7328 eligible individuals), with an age of 40 + years as the eligibility criterion. In the phakic population, the prevalence of nuclear, cortical, subcapsular cataract and any cataract was 38.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 36.6, 39.3], 14.5% (95% CI 13.5, 15.5), 0.6% (95% CI 0.4, 0.8) and 44.6% (95% CI 43.2, 46.0), respectively. A higher prevalence of nuclear cataract was associated with older age [odds ratio (OR) 1.10; 95% CI 1.10, 1.11], the female sex (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.08, 1.50), urban region (OR 2.00; 95% CI 1.71, 2.33), a low educational level (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.88, 0.98), a high diastolic blood pressure (OR 1.01; 95% CI 1.001, 1.02), a low serum concentration of high-density lipoproteins (OR 0.91; 95% CI 0.84, 0.98), more smoking package years (OR 1.01; 95% CI 1.01, 1.02), chronic kidney disease (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.10, 1.03), a short axial length (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.86, 0.99), and a low prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.57, 0.92). The prevalence of previous cataract surgery conducted in 354/5885 individuals (6.0%; 95% CI 5.4, 6.6) increased from 0.4% (95% CI 0.0, 1.0) in the age group of 40-45 years to 37.6% (95% CI 30.9, 44.4) in the age group of 80 + years. Cataract was the cause of moderate-to-severe vision impairment in 109 (1.8%) individuals and of blindness in three (0.05%) individuals. The prevalence of cataract and cataract-related MSVI and blindness were relatively high; subsequently, the prevalence of previous cataract surgery was relatively low in this population from Russia.

Dual Sensory Impairment and Perceived Everyday Discrimination in the United States.

Importance: Perceived everyday discrimination is a psychosocial stressor linked to adverse health outcomes, including mortality. Objective: To assess the association of vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI), and dual sensory impairments (DSI) with everyday discrimination. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional analysis of the Health and Retirement Study 2006 and 2008 surveys, a US population-based survey that included noninstitutionalized adults 51 years and older. Analyses were weighted to account for complex sample design and differential nonresponse. Data were analyzed between October 2019 and November 2019. Exposures: Participants rated their vision and hearing, using eyeglasses and/or hearing aids if applicable, on a Likert scale (poor, fair, good, very good, and excellent). Sensory impairment was defined as poor or fair ability in the relevant modality, and sensory impairment was categorized as neither sensory impairment (NSI), VI alone, HI alone, and DSI. Main Outcomes and Measures: Perceived everyday discrimination was measured on the validated 5-question Williams scale (range 0 to 5). Linear regression models estimated differences in discrimination scores by sensory categories, adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, non-US birth, body mass index, relationship status, net household wealth, and number of chronic diseases (among diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, nonskin cancer, and arthritis). Results: The sample included 13 092 individuals. After weighting the sample to be representative of the US population, 11.7% had VI alone, 13.1% HI alone, and 7.9% DSI. In the fully adjusted model, participants with VI alone (ß [change in discrimination score], 0.07; 95% CI, 0.02-0.13), HI alone (ß = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.02-0.11), and DSI (ß = 0.23; 95% CI, 0.16-0.29) perceived greater discrimination compared with participants with NSI. The DSI group perceived greater discrimination than VI alone or HI alone. Conclusions and Relevance: Older adults with VI or HI in the United States perceive greater everyday discrimination than older adults with NSI, and those with DSI perceive even more discrimination than those with either VI or HI alone. These results provide insight into the social impact of sensory loss and highlight a need to identify and address reasons for discrimination toward older adults with VI and HI.

Prevalence and risk factors of dual sensory impairment among community-dwelling older adults in Selangor: A secondary data analysis.

The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of dual sensory impairment, and to identify its risk factors among community-dwelling older adults in Selangor. METHODS: Secondary analysis was carried out on data collected by the Grand Challenge Project among older adults aged ≥65 years from Selangor. Data on sociodemographic information, medical history, cognitive function and functional performance were obtained through face-to-face interviews using standardized questionnaires. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart while hearing was assessed using pure-tone audiometry. Descriptive analysis was used to measure the prevalence of the impairments, and logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of dual sensory impairment and hearing impairment were at 10.5% and 76.2% respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that participants with lower cognitive scores were associated with dual sensory impairment (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.98), while smoking was found associated with hearing impairment (odds ratio, 6.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-28.65). CONCLUSION: Dual sensory impairment is common among older adults in Selangor. The association between dual sensory impairment and cognitive function suggests the need to have visual and hearing screening on older adults for early detection particularly those at risk of cognitive impairment. The prevalence of hearing impairment was reported high among older adults and smokers appeared to be at higher risk of the impairment. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 911-916.

Incidence, Long-Term Visual Outcomes, and Mortality in Retinopathy of Prematurity in Korea: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence, visual prognosis, and mortality in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Korea. Methods: We used the National Health Insurance and the Korean Disability Registry database, which covers the entire newborn population in 2006 to 2014 and includes information on all newborns diagnosed with ROP until 2016. Using these databases, we evaluated the incidence, rate of visual impairment (VI), and mortality in patients with ROP according to the birth weight categories and treatment modalities. Results: The ROP incidence per 1000 newborns was 1.99, which broke down into 317.14 in the very low birth weight (VLBW) less than 1500 g population, 25.45 in the 1500 to 2499 g population, and 0.29 in the 2500 g or greater population. When assessed at age 10, the VI rate was 2.2 per 100 person-years, which was highest at 4.5 per 100 person-years in the VLBW population compared with the population in other birth weight categories. Among treated cases, the proportion of VI in patients undergoing laser photocoagulation or cryotherapy was 1.6% (42/2595), which was lower than the 2.9% (2/68) of patients treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection, and 32.2% (82/255) of patients undergoing vitrectomy or scleral buckling. The mortality rate was 4.8 per 1000 person-years, which was highest in the VLBW population, but similar across treatment modalities. Conclusions: The ROP incidence in Korea was approximately 1 in 500 among all newborns, and 1 in 3 in the VLBW population. As the first nationwide population-based study of long-term visual prognosis in ROP, we report the higher VI rate in ROP than previously determined in other studies. Differences in visual outcomes and comparable mortality risks between treatment modalities require further verification.

Prevalence and Consequences of Perceived Vision Difficulty in Aging Adults with HIV Infection.

PURPOSE: Despite well-known ocular complications of HIV-related immune suppression, few studies have examined the prevalence and consequences of visual impairment among aging long-term survivors of HIV. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Aging HIV-infected (HIV+) men who have sex with men (MSM) and HIV-uninfected (HIV-) MSM controls reported their difficulty performing 6 vision-dependent tasks (difficulty defined as: no, a little, moderate, and extreme difficulty). Relationships were examined using logistic regression, regressing each outcome separately on categorical visual function responses, with missing data multiply imputed. RESULTS: There were 634 age-matched pairs for a total sample of 1,268 MSM of 1,700 MSM with available data. The median age was 60 years old (interquartile range [IQR], 54, 66), and 23% were African American. Among HIV+ men, 95% were virally suppressed (viral load <400 copies/mL). HIV+ men were more likely to report moderate or extreme difficulty performing at least 1 task (21% for HIV+ compared to 13% for HIV-; P < .01). Participants reporting extreme vision-related difficulty performing at least 1 task had 11.2 times the odds of frailty (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2-23.9), 2.6 times the odds of a slow gait speed (95% CI, 1.4-4.8), and 3.2 times the odds of impaired instrumental activities of daily living (95% CI: 1.6-6.3) compared to those reporting no vision-related difficulty on any task. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived vision difficulty was more common among older HIV+ MSM than age-matched HIV- MSM controls and was associated with higher risk of depression and physical function loss among MSM.

Visual Impairment and Major Eye Diseases in Chronic Kidney Disease: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2008.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence and associations of visual impairment (VI) and major eye diseases with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We investigated the prevalence and associations of VI and major eye diseases with CKD among 5,518 participants aged 40 years or older in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. An estimated glomerular filtration rate of lower than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was defined as CKD. Corrected visual acuity of worse than 20/40 in the better-seeing eye was defined as VI. Major eye diseases, including any ocular disease, any objectively determined ocular disease, cataract surgery, any retinopathy, diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma were evaluated from questionnaire or retinal photographs using standardized grading protocols. RESULTS: The prevalence of VI and major eye diseases were approximately 2- to 7-fold higher in participants with CKD than in those without (all P < .05). After controlling for multiple confounders, the presence of CKD was associated with VI (odds ratio [OR]: 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14-3.54), any ocular disease (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.22-2.22), any objectively determined ocular disease (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.06-2.19), any retinopathy (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.18-2.45), and DR (OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.23-4.42). There was no association of CKD with cataract surgery, AMD, or glaucoma. A significant association between CKD and any ocular disease was observed among nondiabetic participants. The presence of CKD was closely related to VI and any retinopathy among diabetic participants. CONCLUSIONS: This nationally representative sample of the US population demonstrated high prevalence and strong associations of VI and major eye diseases with CKD, highlighting the importance of ocular screening among CKD patients and potential common pathogenesis underlying these conditions.

Prevalence of visual impairment, ocular pathology, and ability to achieve a thorough examination in an eye clinic for patients with disabilities.

PURPOSE: To report the demographics, types of visual/ocular pathology, and ability to achieve a comprehensive examination at a university-based outpatient clinic for individuals of all ages with disabilities. METHODS: The medical records for all patients with disabilities examined from January 2014 through December 2016 at our monthly clinic staffed by a pediatric ophthalmologist were reviewed retrospectively. Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographics, visual acuity, ocular diagnoses, nonocular diagnoses, refractive error, and achievable examination data. Ocular diagnoses were categorized as treatable or nontreatable and noted if newly diagnosed. RESULTS: A total of 178 patients with disabilities were examined at 281 visits; 119 patients (66.9%) were nonverbal. Of the 178, 140 patients (78.7%) had pathology or refractive error requiring glasses; 126 had pathology and 14 had no pathology. Of the 126 patients with pathology, 113 had treatable ocular diagnoses and 13 had only nontreatable diagnoses. Of the 113 with treatable conditions, 56 (49.6%) were newly diagnosed. Cycloplegic refraction was attained in 168 patients (94.4%); 85 had a significant refractive error, 66 of whom had another treatable ocular diagnosis. Lack of cooperation precluded slit-lamp examination in 1 patient, cycloplegic refraction in 3 (1.7%), dilated fundus examination in 4 (2.2%), and iCare or Goldmann intraocular pressure measurement in 28 (15.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with disabilities in our cohort had a high prevalence of ocular pathology, which was often treatable and previously unrecognized. Refractive errors were common and frequently accompanied by other treatable conditions. A thorough ophthalmic examination was achievable in most individuals with disabilities.

Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness in Papua New Guinea: a nationwide survey.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and main causes of blindness and vision impairment in people aged 50 years and older in Papua New Guinea (PNG). DESIGN: National cross-sectional population-based survey in National Capital District (NCD), Highlands, Coastal and Islands regions. METHODS: Adults aged 50 years and above were recruited from 100 randomly selected clusters. Each participant underwent monocular presenting and pinhole visual acuity (VA) assessment and lens examination. Those with pinhole VA<6/12 in either eye had a dilated fundus examination to determine the primary cause of reduced vision. Those with obvious lens opacity were interviewed on barriers to cataract surgery. RESULTS: A total of 4818 adults were examined. The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted prevalence of blindness (VA <3/60), severe vision impairment (SVI, VA <6/60 but ≥3/60), moderate vision impairment (MVI, VA <6/18 but ≥6/60) and early vision impairment (EVI, VA <6/12 but ≥6/18) was 5.6% (95% CI 4.9% to 6.3%), 2.9% (95% CI 2.5% to 3.4%), 10.9% (95% CI 9.9% to 11.9%) and 7.3% (95% CI 6.6% to 8.0%), respectively. The main cause of blindness, SVI and MVI was cataract, while uncorrected refractive error was the main cause of EVI. A significantly higher prevalence of blindness, SVI and MVI occurred in the Highlands compared with NCD. Across all regions, women had lower cataract surgical coverage and spectacle coverage than men. CONCLUSIONS: PNG has one of the highest reported prevalence of blindness globally. Cataract and uncorrected refractive error are the main causes, suggesting a need for increased accessible services with improved resources and advocacy for enhancing eye health literacy.

Deficiências visual, auditiva e motora entre a população indígena no Brasil / Visual, hearing, and motor impairments in the indigenous population in Brazil / Discapacidad visual, auditiva y motora entre la población indígena en Brasil

O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a prevalência de deficiências visual, auditiva e motora e estimar a chance de se ter uma das três deficiências, separadamente, segundo grau de severidade, para a população indígena no Brasil. Os dados foram retirados do Censo Demográfico de 2010 coletados pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Os métodos utilizados incluem a padronização direta para o cálculo das prevalências e modelos de regressão logística multinomial. Os resultados padronizados mostram que homens e mulheres indígenas apresentam a maior prevalência em cada uma das deficiências examinadas neste trabalho, sendo a única exceção a deficiência visual de grau leve entre as mulheres. Os resultados dos modelos de regressão multinomial mostram uma desvantagem relativa dos povos indígenas em quase todos os tipos de deficiência.

This study aimed to describe the prevalence of visual, hearing, and motor impairments in the indigenous population in Brazil and to estimate the odds of presenting one of the three disabilities, separately, according to degree of severity. The data were obtained from the 2010 Population Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The methods included direct standardization for calculation of the prevalence rates and multinomial logistic regression models. According to the standardized results, indigenous men and women showed the highest prevalence in each of the three disabilities, except for mild visual impairment in women. The results of the multinomial regression models revealed a relative disadvantage for indigenous peoples in nearly all the types of disability.

El objetivo de este estudio fue describir la prevalencia de discapacidad visual, auditiva y motora y estimar la oportunidad de sufrir una de las tres discapacidades, separadamente, según el grado de severidad, en la población indígena de Brasil. Los datos se obtuvieron del Censo Demográfico de 2010, recogidos por el Instituto Brasileño de Geografía y Estadística (IBGE). Los métodos utilizados incluyen la estandarización directa para el cálculo de las prevalencias y modelos de regresión logística multinomial. Los resultados estandarizados muestran que hombres y mujeres indígenas presentan la mayor prevalencia en cada una de las discapacidades examinadas en este trabajo, siendo la única excepción la discapacidad visual de grado leve entre las mujeres. Los resultados de los modelos de regresión multinomial muestran una desventaja relativa de los pueblos indígenas en casi todos los tipos de discapacidad.

Facilitating factors in overcoming barriers to cataract surgical services among the bilaterally cataract blind in Southern India: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To effectively address cataract blindness, increasing sight-restoring surgeries among the bilaterally blind are essential. To improve uptake of surgical services among this group, evidence regarding the problems of access is vital. Barriers in accessing eye care services have previously been reported but not specific to bilaterally cataract blind patients. Further, there is a gap in knowledge regarding factors facilitating access to eye care. Our aims were to (1) report proportion of bilaterally cataract blind patients undergoing surgery and sight restoration rate (SRR) and (2) analyze barriers and factors enabling access to eye care services among bilaterally cataract blind patients. Methods: Retrospective analysis of interview and clinical data of bilaterally cataract blind patients undergoing surgery through outreach services at the base hospital, from June 2015 to May 2016, was performed. Demographic data, vision, postoperative visual outcomes, barriers, and facilitating factors in accessing cataract surgical services were obtained. Results: Bilateral cataract blindness was present in 196/3178 (6.2%, 95% confidence interval 5.4-7.06) patients. SRR was 6.5%. Fear of surgery (24.2%) and lack of family support/escort (22.9%) were the most common barriers. Neighbors and acquaintances (28.6%), general health workers (20.2%), and persons who had undergone cataract surgery (19.6%) were the most common facilitating factors. Conclusion: Proportion of bilaterally cataract blind people undergoing surgery and consequently SRR were low. The most common barriers were at the individual level while facilitating factors at the community level were instrumental in promoting uptake of services. Interventions involving community-based support for the blind may be useful in overcoming barriers to eye care.

Cataract Surgical Coverage and Visual Acuity Outcomes in Rural China in 2014 and Comparisons With the 2006 China Nine-Province Survey.

PURPOSE: To estimate surgical coverage of cataract-related vision impairment and blindness and visual acuity outcomes in operated eyes in rural China in 2014 with comparisons with the 2006 Nine-Province Survey. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional study. METHODS: Geographical cluster sampling was used in randomly selecting residents from a rural county or semi-rural district within 9 provinces: Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Hebei, Ningxia, Chongqing, and Yunnan. Persons 50 years of age or older were enumerated through household visits and invited to examination sites for visual acuity testing and ocular examination. Surgical coverage and visual acuity outcomes in 2014 were compared with data from the 2006 survey. RESULTS: Among 51 310 examined persons, surgical coverage among those presenting with cataract-related severe visual impairment or blindness (<20/200) was 62.7% overall, ranging from 43.4% to 83.6% across the 9 study sites. Unoperated cataract was significantly associated with older age, female sex, and lack of education. Presenting visual acuity outcomes ≥ 20/63 in cataract-operated eyes was 62.2% overall, ranging from 51.6% to 78.6%, and 75.2%, ranging from 67.1% to 81.5%, with best-corrected visual acuity. As a proportional percentage of cataract surgical coverage in 2006, overall surgical coverage increased by 81.4% during the 2006-2014 interval, and by 110% when adjusted for visual acuity outcomes ≥ 20/63. CONCLUSIONS: Cataract blindness control is well underway in rural China, as evidenced by significant increases in cataract surgical coverage and improvement in visual acuity outcomes during the 2006-2014 interval. Further efforts are needed to provide greater access to affordable cataract surgery for the elderly, female persons, and those with little or no education.

Prevalence and determinants of visual impairment in Canada: cross-sectional data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and determinants of visual impairment in Canada. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based study. PARTICIPANTS: 30,097 people in the Comprehensive Cohort of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging METHODS: Inclusion criteria included being between the ages of 45 and 85 years old, community-dwelling, and living near one of the 11 data collection sites across 7 Canadian provinces. People were excluded if they were in an institution, living on a First Nations reserve, were a full-time member of the Canadian Armed Forces, did not speak French or English, or had cognitive impairment. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart while participants wore their usual prescription for distance, if any. Visual impairment was defined as presenting binocular acuity worse than 20/40. RESULTS: Of Canadian adults, 5.7% (95% CI 5.4-6.0) had visual impairment. A wide variation in the provincial prevalence of visual impairment was observed ranging from a low of 2.4% (95% CI 2.0-3.0) in Manitoba to a high of 10.9% (95% CI 9.6-12.2) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Factors associated with a higher odds of visual impairment included older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, 95% CI 1.06-1.08), lower income (OR = 2.07 for those earning less than $20 000 per year, 95% CI 1.65-2.59), current smoking (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.25-1.85), type 2 diabetes (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.41), and memory problems (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.04-2.01). CONCLUSIONS: Refractive error was the leading cause of visual impairment. Older age, lower income, province, smoking, diabetes, and memory problems were associated with visual impairment.

Prevalence and causes of blindness, visual impairment among different ethnical minority groups in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, China.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this cross-sectional study is to ascertain the prevalence and causes of blindness, visual impairment, uptake of cataract surgery among different ethnic groups in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. METHODS: Four thousand one hundred fifty people at 50 years and above from different minority ethnic groups were randomly selected for an eye examination. The four trained eye teams collected data using tumbling E visual chart, torch, portable slit lamp and direct ophthalmoscope in 2015. The World Health Organization's definition of blindness and visual impairment (VI) was used to classify patients in each ethnic group. Data were analyzed by different minority groups and were compared with Han Chinese. RESULTS: 3977 (95.8%) out of 4150 people were examined. The prevalence of blindness from the study population was 1.7% (95% confidence interval: 1.3-2.2%).There was no significant difference in prevalence of blindness between Han Chinese and people of Khazak and other minority ethnic groups, nor, between male and female. Cataract was the leading course (65.5%) of blindness and uncorrected refractive error was the most common cause of VI (36.3%) followed by myopic retinopathy. The most common barrier to cataract surgery was lack of awareness of service availability. CONCLUSIONS: This study documented a low blindness prevalence among people aged 50 years and over comparing to prevalence identified through studies of other regions in China. It still indicates blindness and un-operated cataract as the significant public health issue, with no evidence of eye health inequalities, but some inequities in accessing to cataract surgery amongst ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang.