title: [Prevalence of near vision deficiency and related factors: a population-based study].
abstract: The objective of this article was to estimate the prevalence of presbyopia in adults > or = 30 years and explore associated characteristics such as demographic, socioeconomic, and individual variables. A cross-sectional, population-based study was performed with 3,007 adults > or = 30 years in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Near vision acuity was evaluated using the Jaeger table, and other variables were investigated using standardized, pre-coded questionnaires. Prevalence of presbyopia was 54.7%. When visual acuity was measured using visual corrective means, prevalence was 29.34%. Age and female gender were associated with the outcome variable after controlling for confounding. Some 42.4% of the sample reported not requiring near vision for routine daily tasks. The conclusion was that presbyopia displays a high prevalence in the adult population and is directly related to increasing age, especially 45 years of age and appearing earlier in women. In some 30% of individuals who already use visual corrective means, the latter are ineffective for near vision.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, 96010-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Wladimir Ribeiro
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Aluísio J D
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: Juvenal Soares
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dias-da-Costa
authors.forename: Jacobo Melamed
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cattan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011305:Presbyopia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity