Elsevier

Ophthalmology

Volume 111, Issue 6, June 2004, Pages 1132-1140
Ophthalmology

Original article
Prevalence and risk indicators of visual impairment and blindness in Latinos: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study

Presented in part at: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Conference, May, 2003; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2004.02.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To determine the age- and gender-specific prevalence and risk indicators of visual impairment and blindness in urban Latinos 40 years and older.

Design

Population-based cross-sectional study.

Participants

Six thousand three hundred fifty-seven Latinos 40 years and older from 6 census tracts in Los Angeles, California.

Methods

Of the 6357 study participants, 6122 underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination at the clinical center, including measurement of best-corrected distance visual acuity (VA) using a standard Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol. Age- and gender-specific prevalence of visual impairment and blindness were contrasted using Mantel–Haenszel procedures. Sociodemographic and clinical risk indicators of visual impairment were explored using stepwise logistic regression.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence and odds ratios for risk indicators of visual impairment and blindness.

Results

The overall prevalence for visual impairment (best-corrected VA of ≤20/40 in the better eye) was 3.0% (n = 182) (range, 0.9% [40–49 years]–27.8% [≥80 years]). The overall prevalence for blindness (best-corrected VA of ≤20/200 in the better eye) was 0.4% (n = 26) (range, 0.2% [40–49 years]–4.2% [≥80 years]). Visual impairment increased with age (P<0.0001) and was greater in women (P = 0.02). Independent risk indicators (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]) for visual impairment were age 70–79 years (2.8 [1.3–5.8]) or ≥80 years (8.7 [3.9–19.6]), history of ocular disease (3.2 [2.1–4.8]), being unemployed (3.3 [1.7–6.3]), diabetes (2.2 [1.5–3.2]), and being separated/divorced (1.8 [1.0–3.1]) or widowed (2.8 [1.8–4.4]). Participants with ≥12 years of education (0.5 [0.3–0.8]) were less likely to be visually impaired.

Conclusions

Rates of visual impairment and blindness in Latinos are high, especially in older individuals. Better education and employment are likely to decrease the burden of visual impairment in Latinos.

Section snippets

Study population

The study population consisted of self-identified Latinos, 40 years or older, living in La Puente. Details of the study design, sampling plan, and baseline data are reported elsewhere.14 In brief, after conducting a door-to-door census of all dwelling units within 6 census tracts in La Puente, eligible residents (40 years or older at the time of the census and self-identified Latinos) were informed of the study and invited to participate in both a home interview and a clinic examination.

Study cohort

Of the 7789 individuals who were eligible for the LALES, 908 refused to participate in the in-home interview and the clinical examination, 524 completed only an in-home interview, 6131 completed both an in-home interview and a clinical examination (HI + CE), 215 completed both an in-home interview and an in-home clinical examination (HI + HE), and 11 participants did not complete the in-home interview but did complete the clinical examination at the clinic (CE). Thus, 6357 (6131 + 215 + 11)

Discussion

Although Latinos are the largest US minority and the fastest growing segment of the US population, few population-based data on Latinos with blindness and visual impairment are available.13 The LALES, the largest epidemiologic study of eye disease of any ethnic/racial group in the US, was designed to fill this gap. We examined 6357 Latinos, 40 years and older (participation rate of 82%), using standardized methods of measuring VA and performing refraction. Strict quality control procedures were

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    Manuscript no. 230716.

    The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in the article.

    Supported by the National Eye Institute and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (grant nos.: EY11753 and EY03040), and an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, New York. Dr Varma is a Research to Prevent Blindness Sybil B. Harrington Scholar.

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