Prevalence Of Blindness And Low Vision Among Adults Aged 50 Years Or Above In Qvfu County Of Shandong

Objective To estimate the prevalence of blindness and low vision among older adults aged≥50 years in qvfu county of shandong,China.Methods Cluster sampling was used in randomly selecting individuals aged≥50 years in 28 villages in qvfu county in fall,2007.The survey was preceded by a pilot study where operational methods were refined and quality assurance evaluation was carried out. A diagnosis of the principal cause for all the eyes with presenting visual acuity less than 20/63 was made as well.Results 5549 individuals were enumerated.The response rate was 90.95%.In this population,the prevalence of blindness was 1.07%defined aspinhole visual acuity＜20/400 in both eyes;or 7.4%were low vision,defined as presenting visual acuity＜20/63 in both eyes.Blindness was associated with older age and female gender.The principal cause of blindness in eyes was cataract.The causes leading to blindness are cataract( 47.3%),cloudiness of cornea(9.0%)and atrophia bulbi(7.5%)in falling order..Conclusions The prevalence of blindness was decreased after many year active eye-care program in the survey area.However,cataract blindness continues as a significant problem among elderly,especially females,in this population sample of rural area. Blindness is a serious public health problem between in female and illiteracy.The first importand task in blindness prevention still is the dlimination of cataract blindness.