Prevalence of Cataract Surgery and Postoperative Visual Outcome in Greater Beijing: The Beijing Eye Study
Received 21 August 2008; received in revised form 2 January 2009; accepted 22 January 2009. published online 04 June 2009.
Purpose
To determine the prevalence of cataract surgery and the postoperative visual outcome in the adult Chinese population living in rural and urban regions of Greater Beijing.
Design
Population-based study.
Participants
The Beijing Eye Study 2006 included 3251 subjects (73.3%) (aged 45+ years) of 4439 subjects who participated in the 2001 survey and returned for reexamination.
Methods
The prevalence of surgical pseudophakia/aphakia was assessed, and postoperative visual acuity and reasons for decreased postoperative vision were examined. Visual impairment was defined by a presenting visual acuity (PVA) <6/18 or a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) <6/18.
Main Outcome Measures
Prevalence of cataract surgery, lens status, and causes of visual impairment.
Results
Of the 3215 (98.9% of 3251) subjects for whom data on the lens status were available, 92 (41 male, 133 eyes) had undergone cataract surgery in 1 or both eyes (prevalence rate, 2.86%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.28–3.44). In multivariate analysis, this rate was statistically associated with higher age (P<0.001), presence of angle-closure glaucoma (P = 0.02), and higher level of hemorrhagic retinopathy (P<0.001). The prevalence of postoperative visual impairment was 27/133 (20.3%), as defined by a PVA <6/18, and 14/133 or 10.5%, as defined by a BCVA <6/18. Aphakia (odds ratio [OR], 6.71; P = 0.02) and rural residence (OR, 4.05; P = 0.01) were significantly associated with postoperative visual impairment. The most common causes of postoperative visual impairment were uncorrected refractive error followed by hemorrhagic retinopathy and posterior capsule opacification. By comparing 2001 with 2006, the rate of cataract surgery increased, and the rate of postoperative visual impairment decreased significantly (P = 0.049).
Conclusions
In the adult population of Greater Beijing, approximately 3% of the population aged 45+ years underwent cataract surgery, the prevalence of which was associated with age, angle-closure glaucoma, and hemorrhagic retinopathy. One of 10 subjects who underwent cataract surgery had a BCVA visual of less than 6/18, and 1 of 5 subjects had a PVA of less than 6/18. Low postoperative visual acuity was associated with rural region, undercorrection of refractive error, and hemorrhagic retinopathy.
Financial Disclosure(s)
The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Available online: June 4, 2009.
1Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital University of Medical Science, Beijing, China
2Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
Correspondence: Liang Xu, MD, Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, 17 Hougou Street, Chong Wen Men, 100005 Beijing, China
Manuscript no. 2008-1005.
Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article. Supported by the Beijing Key Laboratory Fund and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation.
ABSTRACT