Epidemiological aspects of visual impairment above 50 years in a rural area.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
1994-11-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 5 villages in central India to find out the extent, causes and epidemiological factors for visual impairment among 903 individuals aged above 50 years; 44.3% of them were visually impaired (29.4% with low vision and 14.9% blind). Age-specific visual impairment increased at a rate of 13.2% with each decade of advancing age. Landless labourers suffered more from visual impairment than other occupational groups (p < 0.05). Socioeconomic and literacy status of the population did not significantly influence the prevalence of visual impairment. Major causes of visual impairment were cataract (48.5%), refractive errors (24.5%), age-related macular degeneration (10%), glaucoma (6.8%), and others (10.2%). In view of the high prevalence of visual impairment among the elderly individuals, it is necessary to intensify our efforts in motivating them for early detection and treatment.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Singh MC, Murthy GV, Venkatraman R, Nayar S. Epidemiological aspects of visual impairment above 50 years in a rural area. Journal of the Indian Medical Association. 1994 Nov; 92(11): 361-3, 365