Prevalence of Visually Significant Cataract and Factors Associated with Unmet Need for Cataract Surgery: Los Angeles Latino Eye Study
Received 9 January 2009; received in revised form 10 April 2009; accepted 29 May 2009. published online 07 October 2009.
Purpose
To estimate the prevalence of visually significant cataract in a US Latino population and to report predisposing, enabling, need, and health behavior characteristics associated with the unmet need for cataract surgery (UNCS).
Design
Population-based, cross-sectional study.
Participants
A total of 6142 Latinos 40 years and older from 6 census tracts in Los Angeles County, California.
Methods
Participants completed an in-home interview and a comprehensive eye examination that included assessment of lens opacification, using the slit lamp-based Lens Opacities Classification System II (LOCS II), and best-corrected visual acuity. Visually significant cataract was defined by any LOCS II grading ≥2, best-corrected visual acuity <20/40, cataract as the primary cause of vision impairment, and self-reported vision of fair or worse. Because cataract surgery is not needed in all persons, participants with a visually significant cataract or prior cataract surgery in at least 1 eye composed the at-risk cohort needing cataract surgery. Unmet need for cataract surgery was defined as any person in the at-risk cohort who had at least 1 eye with a visually significant cataract. Univariate and stepwise logistic regression analyses were used to identify predisposing, enabling, need, and health behavior characteristics associated with UNCS.
Main Outcome Measures
Prevalence of visually significant cataract and odds ratios (ORs) for factors associated with UNCS.
Results
Of 6142 participants who completed the interview and clinical examination, 118 (1.92%) had visually significant cataract in at least 1 eye. Of the 344 participants who have needed cataract surgery, 118 (34.3%) had UNCS. Independent factors associated with UNCS included health behavior: having last eye examination ≥5 years ago compared with <1 year ago (OR, 3.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.71–8.25), and enabling factors: being uninsured (OR, 2.79; CI, 1.30–5.19), income less than $20,000 (OR, 2.60; CI, 1.40–5.56), and self-reported barriers to eye care (OR, 2.41; CI, 1.14–5.13).
Conclusions
Latinos in our study had a substantial UNCS. Because Latinos with specific health behavior and enabling characteristics were more likely to have UNCS, interventions aimed at modifying these characteristics may be beneficial in reducing the unmet need and thus reducing the burden of visual impairment related to cataract in the United States.
Financial Disclosure(s)
The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
1Doheny Eye Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
2Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Correspondence: Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, Doheny Eye Institute, 1450 San Pablo Street, Suite 4900, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Manuscript no. 2009-40.
Available online: October 7, 2009.
Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Supported by the National Eye Institute and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (grant nos. EY11753 and EY03040), and an unrestricted grant from the Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, New York. Dr. Varma is a Research to Prevent Blindness Sybil B. Harrington Scholar.
3 A complete list of the LALES members can be found on page 1130 of Reference 24.
ABSTRACT