rss
Br J Ophthalmol 2008;92:25-29 doi:10.1136/bjo.2007.119842
  • Global issues

The prevalence, severity and risk factors for pterygium in central Myanmar: the Meiktila Eye Study

  1. S R Durkin1,
  2. S Abhary1,
  3. H S Newland2,
  4. D Selva2,
  5. T Aung3,
  6. R J Casson1
  1. 1
    South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, Adelaide, Australia
  2. 2
    Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
  3. 3
    Yangon Eye Hospital, Yangon, Myanmar
  1. Dr S R Durkin, South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Network, Royal Adelaide Hospital, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 5000; shane_durkin{at}yahoo.com
  • Accepted 6 June 2007
  • Published Online First 30 November 2007

Abstract

Aims: To determine the prevalence, severity and risk factors associated with pterygium in adults in central Myanmar.

Methods: Population-based, cross-sectional survey of the people 40 years and over residing in rural Myanmar. Pterygium was graded for severity (T1 to T3) by visibility of episcleral vessels, and the apical extent was recorded. An autorefractor was used to measure refractive error.

Results: There were 2481 subjects identified, and 2076 (83.7%) participated. The prevalence of pterygium in either eye was 19.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 16.9 to 22.2) and of bilateral pterygium 8.0% (95% CI 7.7 to 8.3). Outdoor occupation was an independent predictor of pterygium (p<0.01). The mean apical extent from the limbus was 2.2 mm (95% CI 2.05 to 2.35). Higher-grade pterygia did not have a significantly greater apical extent (p = 0.35). The presence of pterygium was associated with astigmatism, (p = 0.01), and the amount of astigmatism increased as both the severity (p<0.01) and apical extent increased (p<0.01). Two people of the 84 people blinded in both eyes were bilaterally blind from pterygium (1.7%; 95% CI 0.2 to 6.1), and pterygium accounted for 2.2% (95% CI 0.7 to 5.0) of blindness in at least one eye. No participant had low vision in both eyes due to pterygium, but pterygium led to 0.8% (95% CI 0.3 to 1.6) of low vision in at least one eye. Pterygium was therefore associated with 0.4% (95% CI 0.04 to 1.3) of binocular visual impairment and 1.0% (95% CI 0.6 to 1.8) of visual impairment in a least one eye.

Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of pterygium in central Myanmar, and the risk of developing this condition increases with outdoor occupation. Pterygium in this population is associated with considerable visual morbidity, including blindness.

Footnotes

  • Funding: The research was supported by a donation from Pfizer, who had no involvement in the analysis or interpretation of results.

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Patient consent: Informed consent was obtained for publication of figure 1.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF
  4. All versions of this article:
    1. bjo.2007.119842v1
    2. 92/1/25 most recent

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.