Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila). 2020 Sep-Oct;9(5):470-475. doi: 10.1097/APO.0000000000000285.
The aim of the study was to determine the functional concerns of patients with different clinical and demographic characteristics seeking low vision care in South India.
Cross-sectional clinic-based survey.
Consecutive new patients evaluated by the low vision service at Aravind Eye Care System (AECS), Madurai, India, India from September 2016 to March 2017 were recruited. Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected and participants underwent a semistructured survey to determine vision-related functional concerns. Analyses were conducted to determine associations with functional concerns. This study was approved by the AECS Institutional Review Board and all participants provided informed consent.
The study included 419 participants (mean age 42.0 years, 65.2% male). Retinal dystrophy (35.8%) and acquired retinal disease (22.0%) were the most common diagnoses. The most frequently cited functional concerns were reading (37.7%), mobility (19.9%), and facial identification (13.8%). The number of functional concerns did not vary by diagnosis, age, sex, education, occupation, or presenting visual acuity (P > 0.05). Participants with retinal dystrophy were more likely to cite problems with night vision (P < .001). Age was significantly associated with greater difficulty recognizing faces [odds ratio (OR) = 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-1.43] and less night vision difficulty (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.60-1.00). Worse presenting visual acuity was significantly associated with reporting a mobility problem (OR = 2.87, 95% CI = 2.09-3.93).
This study supports the expansion of low vision services in India targeted to common functional concerns including reading, mobility, and facial identification. However, results do not support the use of ocular diagnosis for this purpose.
本研究旨在确定在印度南部寻求低视力护理的具有不同临床和人口统计学特征的患者的功能关注点。
基于诊所的横断面研究。
2016 年 9 月至 2017 年 3 月，连续招募了在印度 Madurai 的 Aravind 眼科护理系统（AECS）低视力服务处接受评估的新患者。收集临床和社会人口统计学数据，参与者接受半结构化调查以确定与视力相关的功能关注点。进行分析以确定与功能关注点的关联。本研究得到了 AECS 机构审查委员会的批准，所有参与者均提供了知情同意。
该研究纳入了 419 名参与者（平均年龄 42.0 岁，65.2%为男性）。视网膜营养不良（35.8%）和获得性视网膜疾病（22.0%）是最常见的诊断。最常提到的功能关注点是阅读（37.7%）、移动（19.9%）和面部识别（13.8%）。功能关注点的数量与诊断、年龄、性别、教育程度、职业或就诊时的视力无关（P>0.05）。视网膜营养不良患者更有可能出现夜视问题（P<0.001）。年龄与识别面部困难显著相关[优势比（OR）=1.20，95%置信区间（CI）=1.01-1.43]，与夜视困难减少显著相关（OR=0.75，95%CI=0.60-1.00）。就诊时视力越差，与移动问题的报告显著相关（OR=2.87，95%CI=2.09-3.93）。
本研究支持在印度扩大低视力服务，以满足包括阅读、移动和面部识别在内的常见功能关注点。然而，结果并不支持将眼部诊断用于此目的。
