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Article

Six-Year Incidence and Causes of Low Vision and Blindness in a Rural Chinese Adult Population: The Handan Eye Study

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Pages 160-168 | Received 04 Nov 2019, Accepted 28 Jun 2020, Published online: 02 Aug 2020
 

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To determine the six-year incidence, risk factors, and causes of visual impairment in a Chinese population.

Methods

This was a population-based study of eye disease in Chinese adults in a rural district of Handan in China. 6,830 individuals were invited to participate in 2006 and 5,394 returned for follow-up in 2012. All participants underwent standardized eye examinations. Visual impairment was defined according to WHO criteria. The incidence of visual impairment was age- and gender-standardized to the 2010 China Census. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors for visual impairment.

Results

The leading causes of visual impairment were cataract and refractive error. Based on presenting visual acuity (PVA), the six-year incidence rates of low vision and blindness were 5.2% and 0.5%, respectively. Incidence of low vision was associated with older age (p < .001), less education (p < .001), diabetes (p < .05), and lower BMI (p < .001). The incidence of blindness was associated with diabetes (p < .05). Based on best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), the six-year incidence rates of low vision and blindness were 0.8% and 0.1%, respectively. Incidence of low vision was associated with older age (p < .001) and lower BMI (p < .05). None of these factors were associated with the incidence of blindness.

Conclusion

In Handan, the incidence of visual impairment was high and associated with older age, less education, diabetes, and lower BMI. The majority of cases were due to unoperated cataract and uncorrected refractive error, reflecting the need for improved eye care in this region.

Declaration of interest

None of the authors have any proprietary interests or conflicts of interest related to this submission.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2007CB512201) and the Key Technologies R&D Program.

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