title: Causes of visual impairment and common eye problems in Northwest American Indians and Alaska Natives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little information exists regarding the causes of visual impairment and the most common eye problems in American Indians/Alaska Natives.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly sampled American Indians/Alaska Natives older than 40 years from 3 tribes within the Northwest region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a higher prevalence of visual impairment and normal-tension glaucoma, as well as a lower prevalence of ocular hypertension, in American Indians/Alaska Natives compared with previous results in other racial/ethnic groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  American Indians/Alaska Natives have a need for vision correction. Future interventions in American Indians/Alaska Natives should include providing spectacles for refractive error, detecting glaucoma, and preventing visual impairment from age-related maculopathy and cataracts.
authors.affiliation: Devers Eye Institute/Discoveries in Sight at Legacy Health System, Portland, OR 97210, USA. smansberger@discoveriesinsight.org
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Mansberger
authors.forename: Francine C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Nicole H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Cioffi
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Edmunds
authors.forename: Dongseok
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000413:Alaska / Q000453:epidemiology; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D004930:Inuit; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology