title: The validity of self-reported and surrogate-reported cataract and age-related macular degeneration in the Beaver Dam Eye Study.
abstract: The validity of reported ocular disease was investigated in a population-based epidemiologic study of persons aged 43-86 years residing in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. In a telephone survey conducted from September 1987 through May 1988, histories of cataract and age-related macular degeneration were obtained from the subject for 2,155 cases and from a surrogate for 1,433 cases. Within 2 years, these persons underwent a complete ocular examination. At that time, an "in-person" self-reported history of eye disease was obtained and disease presence was determined based on ocular photographs. The reporting methods, telephone versus in-person and surrogate versus subject, were compared and the validity of each assessed. Reporting methods were in agreement in better than 90% of all cases. Reporting of cataract showed a sensitivity of 20.4 for surrogate by telephone, 30.2 for self-report by telephone, and 37.8 for self-report at the examination. Sensitivity of reported age-related macular degeneration was poorer, with the highest rate of 17.9 for the "in-person" self-report. Specificity was better than 90.0 for all reporting methods for both cataract and age-related macular degeneration. These data suggest that estimates of prevalence of ocular disease should not be based solely on reported histories, and that clinical determinations are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Linton
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015982:Bias; D002386:Cataract / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009887:Ophthalmoscopy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology