Visual Acuity and Prevalence of Fundus Diseases in Japanese Elderly: Baseline Findings of Fujiwara-Kyo Cohort Study

Abstract

 

Purpose

 

Japan is considered to be one of the most super-aged country in the world. In this elderly community, it is very important to maintain good visual functions to maintain a good quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the baseline visual functions and the prevalence of fundus diseases in an elderly Japanese population.

 

Methods

 

This was a population based, cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 in Nara, Japan and named the Fujiwara-Kyo study. The study included 2873 individuals ≥70-years-of-age who were independent walkers. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure (IOP) were measured, the fundus photographs and optical coherence tomographic (OCT) images were examined, and the self-reported ophthalmological history was analyzed. The associations between the visual acuity and the history of cataract surgery and fundus diseases were also analyzed.

 

Results

 

There were 1514 men (52.7%) and the mean age was 76.3±4.9 (mean ± standard deviation) years. The mean BCVA was 0.048 ± 0.26 logMAR units, and the IOP was 12.3 ± 3.0 mmHg. Both the BCVA and IOP decreased with increasing age. Of the 5453 eyes, 1174 (21.5%) had undergone cataract surgery, and these eyes had better visual acuity by 0.02 logMAR units than eyes without cataract surgery. The prevalence of late age-related macular degeneration was 1.1%, epiretinal macular membrane was 6.7%, diabetic retinopathy was 0.7%, and retinal vein occlusion was 0.8%. The prevalence of ERM was greater than that previously reported.

 

Conclusions

 

Individuals ≥70 years who have independent walking ability in the Fujiwara-Kyo study have the good visual acuity. Fundus examinations by ophthalmoscopy and OCT were important in detecting fundus diseases.