Causes of blindness and visual impairment in a population-based sample of U.S. Hispanics☆
Section snippets
Material and methods
Detailed descriptions of the method of this study are presented elsewhere12 and summarized here.
On the basis of 1990 US Census tracts, block groups from Nogales and Tucson, Arizona with at least 5% Hispanics were randomly selected for inclusion in the study. The probability of selection within the strata was proportional to the percentage of the Hispanic population aged ≥40 years. Fifty percent of households in the selected block groups in Nogales and 75% of those in Tucson were listed and
Results
Of the 6659 eligible individuals in the sample, 5729 completed the home interview, and 4774 participants completed the home questionnaire and the ophthalmic examination, a participation rate of 72%. Nonparticipants were more likely to belong to either the youngest age group (37% were 40–49 years old vs. 33% of participants) or to the oldest age group (7% were 80 years or older vs. 4% of participants), and to be male (46% vs. 39%) (Table 1). Those who reported a low rating of their vision status
Discussion
In this Hispanic population, glaucoma was the most common cause of blindness, in contrast with other population-based blindness surveys in which ARMD and cataract were the leading causes.8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 In fact, data from our survey do suggest that the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma in this Mexican American community may be higher than that reported for the White population.15, 16 Gasch et al17 report that Hispanics and African Americans are less often aware of glaucoma than are
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Casimiro Gonzalez, MD, Dan Finkelstein, MD, and the team of Proyecto VER for their data collection.
References (26)
- et al.
Visual acuity and the causes of visual loss in AustraliaThe Blue Mountains Eye Study
Ophthalmology
(1996) - et al.
The cause-specific prevalence of visual impairment in an urban population
The Baltimore Eye Survey. Ophthalmology
(1996) - et al.
Determinants of glaucoma awareness in a general eye clinic
Ophthalmology
(2000) - et al.
A survey of blindness and cataract surgery in Doumen County, China
Ophthalmology
(1999) - et al.
Age-related maculopathy in a multiracial United States population. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III
Ophthalmology
(1999) - et al.
Visual impairment in a rural Appalachian communityprevalence and causes
JAMA
(1990) - et al.
Blindness and visual impairment in an American urban populationthe Baltimore Eye Survey
Arch Ophthalmol
(1990) - et al.
Refractive errors in a black adult populationthe Barbados Eye Study
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
(1999) - et al.
Racial differences in the cause-specific prevalence of blindness in East Baltimore
N Engl J Med
(1991) - et al.
Age-specific prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in an older populationthe Rotterdam Study
Arch Ophthalmol
(1998)
Causes of blindness and visual impairment in a population of older Americansthe Salisbury Eye Evaluation Study
Arch Ophthalmol
Causes of blindness in the adult population of the Republic of Ireland
Br J Ophthalmol
Age-specific causes of bilateral visual impairment
Arch Ophthalmol
Cited by (130)
Disparities in Vision Health and Eye Care
2022, OphthalmologyThe relationship between optic disc parameters and female reproductive factors in young women
2019, Asia-Pacific Journal of OphthalmologyMajor review: Molecular genetics of primary open-angle glaucoma
2017, Experimental Eye ResearchAnti-glycation and anti-angiogenic activities of 5′-methoxybiphenyl-3,4,3′-triol, a novel phytochemical component of Osteomeles schwerinae
2015, European Journal of PharmacologyDietary glycotoxins induce RAGE and VEGF up-regulation in the retina of normal rats
2015, Experimental Eye ResearchEmerging role of advanced glycation-end products (AGEs) in the pathobiology of eye diseases
2014, Progress in Retinal and Eye ResearchCitation Excerpt :Their incidence increases with age, whereas reduced quality of life and financial burden due to visual impairment and blindness are dramatically elevated when individuals reach forty years of age. The global prevalence of diabetes has dramatically accelerated the onset of ocular diseases in younger individuals where diabetic retinopathy is the primary cause of acquired blindness (Rodriguez et al., 2002). Both environmental and genetic factors contribute to the development of these diseases.
- ☆
Supported by PHS Research Grant EY11283 from the National Eye Institute, and was co-funded by NIH’s National Center on Minority and Health Disparities (NCMHD), Bethesda, Maryland.
- 1
Dr West is a Research to Prevent Blindness Senior Scientific Investigator.