Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Can J Ophthalmol. 2011 Aug;46(4):310-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjo.2011.07.001. Epub 2011 Jul 19.
This paper outlines the methodology used to estimate the cost of vision loss in Canada. The results of this study will be presented in a second paper.
The cost of vision loss (VL) in Canada was estimated using a prevalence-based approach. This was done by estimating the number of people with VL in a base period (2007) and the costs associated with treating them. The cost estimates included direct health system expenditures on eye conditions that cause VL, as well as other indirect financial costs such as productivity losses. Estimates were also made of the value of the loss of healthy life, measured in Disability Adjusted Life Years or DALY's. To estimate the number of cases of VL in the population, epidemiological data on prevalence rates were applied to population data. The number of cases of VL was stratified by gender, age, ethnicity, severity and cause. The following sources were used for estimating prevalence: Population-based eye studies; Canadian Surveys; Canadian journal articles and research studies; and International Population Based Eye Studies. Direct health costs were obtained primarily from Health Canada and Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) sources, while costs associated with productivity losses were based on employment information compiled by Statistics Canada and on economic theory of productivity loss. Costs related to vision rehabilitation (VR) were obtained from Canadian VR organizations.
This study shows that it is possible to estimate the costs for VL for a country in the absence of ongoing local epidemiological studies.
本文概述了用于估算加拿大视力丧失成本的方法。本研究的结果将在第二篇论文中呈现。
加拿大视力丧失（VL）的成本是通过基于流行率的方法来估算的。这是通过估计在基准期（2007 年）患有 VL 的人数以及治疗他们所涉及的成本来完成的。成本估算包括导致 VL 的眼部疾病的直接卫生系统支出，以及生产力损失等其他间接财务成本。还估算了健康生命损失的价值，用残疾调整生命年（DALY）衡量。为了估算人群中 VL 的病例数，将流行率的流行病学数据应用于人口数据。VL 病例数按性别、年龄、种族、严重程度和病因进行分层。用于估计患病率的以下来源：基于人群的眼部研究；加拿大调查；加拿大期刊文章和研究；以及国际基于人群的眼部研究。直接卫生费用主要来自加拿大卫生部和加拿大卫生信息研究所（CIHI）的来源，而与生产力损失相关的成本则基于加拿大统计局编制的就业信息和生产力损失的经济理论。与视力康复（VR）相关的成本则从加拿大 VR 组织获得。
本研究表明，在缺乏持续的本地流行病学研究的情况下，估算一个国家的 VL 成本是可行的。
