Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine prevalence and causes of visual field loss (VFL) as determined by frequency doubling perimetry in elderly Chinese.
Methods: :
The population–based, cross–sectional cohort study included 4439 (83.4%) subjects out of 5324 subjects invited to participate with an age of 40+ years. Visual field was assessed by frequency doubling threshold perimetry. An abnormal visual field was defined as at least one test location of reduced sensitivity.
Results: :
Of the 4439 persons examined, 4350 (98.0%) subjects (8617 eyes) provided measurement data by frequency doubling perimetry. In subjects aged 40 to 49 years, most frequent cause for VFL was degenerative myopia followed by glaucoma, other optic nerve diseases, and cataract. In the subjects aged 60 to 69 years, most frequent cause for VFL was cataract, followed by glaucoma and degenerative myopia. In the subjects aged 70+ years, most frequent cause for VFL was glaucoma, followed by cataract and degenerative myopia. VFL was significantly associated with age (p<0.001), myopic refractive error (p<0.001), rural region (p=0.001), low level of education (p=0.01), degree of nuclear cataract (p<0.001), and intraocular pressure (p<0.001).
Conclusions: :
In contrast to Western countries, age–related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy play a minor role as cause for VFL in China.
Keywords: visual fields • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment