Ophthalmology
Volume 111, Issue 6 , Pages 1121-1131, June 2004

The Los Angeles Latino Eye Study:☆

design, methods, and baseline data

  • Rohit Varma, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Doheny Eye Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence and reprint requests to Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, Doheny Eye Institute, 1450 San Pablo Street, Suite 4900, Los Angeles, CA 90033-9224, USA.
    • ,
  • Sylvia H Paz, MS

      Affiliations

    • Doheny Eye Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • ,
  • Stanley P Azen, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Doheny Eye Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • ,
  • Ronald Klein, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Ophthalmology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
    • ,
  • Denise Globe, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • ,
  • Mina Torres, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • ,
  • Chrisandra Shufelt, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • ,
  • Susan Preston-Martin, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • ,
  • Los Angeles Latino Eye Study Group

      Affiliations

    • See Appendix I for members of the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study Group.

Received 27 October 2003; accepted 2 February 2004.

Abstract 

Objective

To describe the study design, operational strategies, procedures, and baseline characteristics of the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES), a population-based assessment of the prevalence of visual impairment, ocular disease, and visual functioning in Latinos.

Design

Population-based, cross-sectional study.

Participants

Six thousand three hundred fifty-seven Latinos 40 years and older from 6 census tracts in Los Angeles, California.

Methods

A detailed interview and eye examination were performed on each eligible participant. The interview included an assessment of demographic, behavioral, and ocular risk factors and health-related and vision-related quality of life. The eye examination included a measurement of visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and visual fields; fundus and optic disc photography; a detailed anterior and posterior segment examination; and measurement of blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin levels, and blood glucose levels.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence of visual impairment, blindness, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration constitute the study's primary outcome variables. Secondary outcomes include odds ratios for risk factors associated with eye disease, health-related quality of life, and vision-related quality of life. Response rates and baseline characteristics are presented.

Results

Of the 7789 individuals eligible for LALES, 6357 (82%) had a clinical examination; an additional 524 completed only an in-home interview. The majority of participants were female (58%), the average (± standard deviation) age was 54.9 (±10.8) years, and 80.0% were of Mexican origin and 0.4% self-identified as American Indian or Alaskan Native. The age distribution of LALES participants was similar to that of Latinos of Mexican origin in the rest of the United States.

Conclusion

The LALES has recruited Latinos 40 and older for an ophthalmic epidemiologic study. The LALES cohort will provide information about the prevalence and risk factors of ocular disease in the largest and fastest growing minority in the United States.

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☆ This work was supported by the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland (grant nos.: EY11753 and EY03040); the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; and an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, New York. Dr Varma is a Research to Prevent Blindness Sybil B. Harrington Scholar.The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in the article.

PII: S0161-6420(04)00291-X

doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2004.02.001

Ophthalmology
Volume 111, Issue 6 , Pages 1121-1131, June 2004

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