Rapid assessment of avoidable blindness and diabetic retinopathy in individuals aged 50 years or older in Costa Rica

PloS One
Róger Iván Acevedo CastellónGabriel Andrés Rodríguez Vargas

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the causes and the prevalence of avoidable blindness and visual impairment, as well as the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in individuals aged ≥50 years in Costa Rica, in order to provide baseline data for the initial planning and monitoring of ongoing blindness intervention programs. The assessment was based on the standardized methodology of the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness and Diabetic Retinopathy, a population-based survey for blindness and visual impairment. From 3,255 eligible subjects, 76.6% were examined. The adjusted prevalence of bilateral blindness [presenting visual acuity (VA) in the better eye of less than 3/60] was 1.7% (95% confidence interval, 1.2%-2.2%), with avoidable causes (treatable and preventable) accounting for 68.8% of cases. The main causes of blindness were cataract (52.1%), glaucoma (6.3%), and diabetic retinopathy (6.3%); these data were similar to those for other neighboring countries. Cataract surgical coverage (CSC) in the survey area was estimated as 88.9% for individuals with blindness (VA, <3/60), 76.6% for those with a VA of <6/60, and 60.3% for those with a VA of <6/18. The most common barriers against cataract surgery in individuals with a be...Continue Reading

References

Jan 24, 2008·The British Journal of Ophthalmology·Hans LimburgAllen Foster
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Oct 2, 2013·Materia Socio-medica·Mirjana A Janicijevic-PetrovicDejan D Vulovic
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Oct 17, 2017·The Lancet Global Health·Seth R FlaxmanUNKNOWN Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study

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Citations

Jan 30, 2018·Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology·Jacqueline ChuaCharumathi Sabanayagam

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