Continued national surveys needed to track age-related vision conditions, study finds

In studying various surveys on common age-related vision conditions, researchers concluded that ongoing surveys designed to provide reliable estimates of age-related vision impairment are needed.

The study, published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, looked at cataract, age-related macular degeneration, open-angle glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and visual impairment in the U.S.

Study data was derived from the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group (EDPRG), the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, the NHANES 1999 to 2008 and the National Health Interview Survey.

Visual impairment increased with age, and age-specific prevalence was higher in blacks and Hispanics than whites. In the EDPRG, specific causes of blindness and visual impairment vary by race and ethnicity. Cataracts were the most common cause of visual impairment in blacks (36.8%) and Hispanics (28.6%). AMD was most common for whites (54.4%). Visual impairment was more frequent among women than among men and was inversely associated with education and income, according to the study.

As for cataracts, the EDPRG estimated that there were 20.5 million people older than 40 years in the U.S. with cataract. The prevalence of the condition increased with age and was higher in females than males and higher in whites than blacks.

In open-angle glaucoma, the study found a prevalence of the condition in 2% of the U.S. Its prevalence increased with age and was highest in blacks and lowest in whites. Blacks were twice as likely as whites and Hispanics to have glaucoma. More education and higher incomes were associated with lower prevalence.

The study found that the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy seems to be declining.

Researchers believe more ongoing surveillance reporting the prevalence and severity of these common vision conditions should be performed to plan for health care needs and identify further research opportunities.

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Source:

Klein R, et al. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-12789