A Survey Of Visual Disability In The Past Five Years In Tianjin, China And The Evaluation Of Visual Aids

ObjectiveTo investigate the status and the leading causes in the patients of visual disability in Tianjin, China, and to evaluate the rehabilitation of the vision aids on the patients with residual visual acuity.MethodsThis study consists of 2 parts. The first part:A total of 15834 patients with visual disability were enrolled in Tianjin from January 2006 to December 2010. Personal status, visual function examination results and main etiology diagnosis were recorded. The grading was confirmed according to the 2nd National Sample Survey of Disability. Chi-square test was used to investigate differences due to leading causes, age, gender, area (urban and rural), education and economics. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relative risk factors of visual disability.The second part:283 patients aged 7～79 years were grouped into blind group and low vision group according to levels of visual impairment. Distance vision and the rate without visual impairment were compared using monocular hand-held telescope and binocular telescope, and reading performance rate were compared with hand magnifiers with light, glasses aids and electronic aids. The results were analyzed with paired t-test or chi-square test.Results1. The ratio of blindness increased with male gender, urban areas, older age, lower education and lower income (P<0.001)2. There were 6598 (41.67%)blindness and 9236 (58.33%) low vision among 15834 patients. The principal cause was still cataract (32.82%), with blindness 32.98% and low vision 32.70%.3. Besides, the main cause of blind and low vision were different (χ2=38.33, P< 0.001), with retinopathy/choroidopathy(15.40%), corneal diseases (13.78%) of blindness and ammetropia/amblyopia(18.32%), retinopathy/choroidopathy (17.37%) of low vision. 4. The improvement of distance vision acuity was statistically significant for the 2 groups before and after the use of 2 telescope (P<0.05, P<0.05)5. The rate without visual impairment revealed no significant differences using 2 telescope between blind and low vision group (P=0.823, P=0.899). While, the differences in the reading performance rate between 2 groups was statistically significant (x2=6.918, P=0.031),(x2=17.145, P<0.01)Conclusion1. The prevalence of visual disability was relevant to a couple of factors. Older age, urban areas and lower education were the risk factors.2. Cataract was still the main cause of the visual disability. We should pay more attention to rehabilitation of visual disability and make a great effort to prevent uncorrected visual impairment.3. Vision aids is a useful device for visual disability, which can help patients to make use of redisual visual acuity. Better allocation of services and resources is required urgently.