Zhao J, Jia L, Sui R, Ellwein L B
Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
Am J Ophthalmol. 1998 Oct;126(4):506-14. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9394(98)00275-x.
To estimate the prevalence of blindness and cataract surgery among older adults in rural China.
Cluster sampling was used in randomly selecting men and women aged 50 years or older for visual acuity testing and an eye examination in 28 villages in Shunyi County. The survey, which was carried out in the fall of 1996, was preceded by a pilot study in which operational methods were refined and quality assurance evaluations carried out.
Of 5,555 enumerated subjects > or =50 years of age, 91.5% (5,084/5,555) were examined and 90.9% (5,052/5,555) were tested for visual acuity. In this population, 2.8% (139/5,052) were blind, defined as presenting visual acuity less than 6/60 in both eyes. Blindness was associated with older age and female sex. Cataract was the principal cause of blindness in at least one eye in 48.2% (67/139) of blind people. The ratio of those blind from cataract who were operated on to the those who could have been operated on, cataract surgical coverage, was estimated to be 47.8% (54/113). Cataract surgery was associated with younger age but not sex or education.
Blindness, particularly blindness related to cataract, continues to be a significant problem among the elderly, especially women, in this population-based sample of rural Chinese. Despite an active eye-care program in Shunyi County, only half of those who might benefit from cataract surgery are receiving it.
评估中国农村老年人失明和白内障手术的患病率。
采用整群抽样法，随机选取顺义县28个村庄中50岁及以上的男性和女性进行视力测试和眼部检查。1996年秋季开展该调查之前，进行了一项试点研究，对操作方法进行了完善，并开展了质量保证评估。
在5555名年龄≥50岁的被调查对象中，91.5%（5084/5555）接受了检查，90.9%（5052/5555）进行了视力测试。在这一人群中，2.8%（139/5052）为失明，定义为双眼视力均低于6/60。失明与年龄较大和女性性别相关。白内障是至少一只眼睛失明的主要原因，在48.2%（67/139）的失明者中如此。白内障致盲且接受手术者与本可接受手术者的比例，即白内障手术覆盖率，估计为47.8%（54/113）。白内障手术与年龄较轻相关，但与性别或教育程度无关。
在这个基于人群的中国农村样本中，失明，尤其是与白内障相关的失明，仍然是老年人，尤其是女性中的一个重大问题。尽管顺义县有积极的眼保健项目，但只有一半可能从白内障手术中受益的人接受了手术。
