Abstract
Purpose :
To estimate the 8-year cumulative incidence and the age-standardized average annual incidence rate (AAIR) of VI and blindness in Latinos.
Methods :
A population-based sample of 3800 Latino adults residing in La Puente, CA, age 40 years and older at baseline, underwent complete ophthalmologic exams including measurements of presenting and best-corrected distance visual acuity (VA) using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol. Examinations were completed at baseline (2000-2003), at 4 years (2004-2008) and at 8 years of follow-up (2009-2013). VI was defined as VA of worse than 20/40 but better than 20/200 based on the United States criteria and blindness was defined as VA of 20/200 or worse.
Results :
The 8-year cumulative incidence of presenting VI was 6.8% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 6.1, 7.6) compared to 2.2% (95%CI: 1.8, 2.7) for best-corrected VI in the better-seeing eye. The age-specific cumulative incidence was higher with increasing age group for presenting binocular VI (40-49 years: 3.6%, 50-59 years: 5.0%, 60-79 years; 8.7%, 70-79 years: 22.4%, 80+ years: 46.2%; p-trend=0.001); a similar pattern by age was observed for best corrected VI (p-trend=0.001). The 8-year cumulative incidence of presenting blindness was 1.0% (95%CI: 0.7 1.3) compared to 0.4% (95%CI: 0.2, 0.6) for best-corrected blindness. When comparing best-corrected AAIRs for VI in the better eye (directly standardized to age-distribution of the 2000 US standard population), LALES had a slightly higher AAIR (0.48%) than non-Hispanic whites from the Beaver Dam Eye study (0.15% estimated from published cumulative incidence).
Conclusions :
The cumulative incidence of presenting VI at the 8-year follow-up examination was approximately 68% higher in Latinos than the prevalence of best-corrected VI in the better-seeing eye, indicating the majority of VI in Latinos can be eliminated with proper refraction.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.