Prevalence of Blindness and Low Vision in a Rural Population in Northern China: Preliminary Results from a Population-Based Survey

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of visual impairment in a rural northern Chinese population.

Methods: A cross-sectional, population-based survey was conducted in 2010 in Ci County, Hebei Province in northern China. Residents aged 7 years and older in Lucunying Town, located within Ci County, underwent presenting visual acuity (VA) testing at home; those with presenting VA <20/60 were invited to participate in further examination at the local hospital. Population-weighted prevalences of blindness and low vision were determined according to World Health Organization definitions.

Results: Among the 24,539 residents aged older than 7 years, 20,298 (82.7%) participated in the study, and 20,072 (98.9%) of these had valid VA data. The population-weighted prevalence rates of presenting bilateral blindness and bilateral low vision were 0.3% and 2.4% for the entire population, 0% and 0.5% for residents 7–39 years of age, and 0.8% and 6.4% for residents 40 years and older, respectively. Based on best-corrected VA, the corresponding prevalence rates of bilateral blindness and bilateral low vision were 0.2% and 1.4% for the entire population, 0% and 0.1% for residents 7–39 years, and 0.6% and 4.0% for residents 40 years and older, respectively. Prevalence rates of blindness and low vision were generally higher among women than men. Blindness and low vision increased with age among residents 40 years and older.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the need for eye healthcare services for visual impairment in rural China.

KEYWORDS::

• Blindness
• Eye
• Low vision
• Rural China
• Visual impairment

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported by the Technology Specific Research Projects on Public Health Problems (No. 201002019) from the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

NOTICE OF CORECTION

A change has been made to this article since it has originally been published.