Purpose: To determine the prevalence of epiretinal membranes in the adult Chinese population.
Methods: The Beijing Eye Study, a population-based, cross-sectional cohort study, included 4439 subjects out of 5324 subjects invited to participate (response rate 83.4%) with an age of 40+ years. The present investigation consisted of 4378 (98.6%) subjects for whom readable fundus photographs (30 degrees nonstereoscopic colour images) were available. Assessing the fundus photographs, we differentiated two membrane types: cellophane maculopathy and premacular fibrosis.
Results: Prevalence rate of epiretinal membranes was 2.2+/-0.2% (mean+/-SE) (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9,2.5) per eye or 2.2+/-0.2% (95% CI: 1.8,2.7) per subject. In binary logistic regression analysis, the prevalence of epiretinal membranes was significantly associated with age (P<0.001; 95% CI: 1.07,1.12), visual field loss (P<0.001; 95% CI: 1.03,1.07), hyperopia (P=0.02; 95% CI: 1.01,1.18), and higher education (P<0.001; 95% CI: 1.29,1.74). Cellophane maculopathy showed a prevalence rate of 1.11+/-0.1% (95% CI: 0.9,1.3) per eye and 1.8+/-0.2% (95% CI: 1.4,2.2) per subject. Its prevalence was significantly associated with age (P<0.001; 95% CI: 1.08,1.13), higher education (P<0.001; 95% CI: 1.26,1.92), and visual field loss (P=0.009; 95% CI: 1.01,1.07). Premacular fibrosis had a prevalence rate of 1.06+/-0.1% (95% CI: 0.9,1.3) per eye and 1.8+/-0.2% (95% CI: 1.4,2.2) per subject. It was significantly associated with age (P<0.001; 95% CI: 1.06,1.11), higher level of education (P<0.001; 95% CI: 1.15,1.74), and visual field loss (P=0.001; 95% CI: 1.02,1.08).
Conclusion: In adult Chinese in Greater Beijing, epiretinal membranes including cellophane maculopathy and premacular fibrosis occur in a relatively low frequency which may be lower than in Western countries. Epiretinal membranes including its subtypes of cellophane maculopathy and epiretinal fibrosis were associated with age and hyperopic refractive error.