Skövde cataract study: I. Prevalence of lens opacities in a Swedish community.
OBJECTIVE
To study the prevalence of lens opacities in a well-defined Swedish population.


METHODS
Population-based cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Seven hundred inhabitants of the town of Skövde, Sweden were randomly selected and invited to an ophthalmologic examination. Invited persons were 70 to 84 years old and were assigned to 1 of 3 age groups: 70 to 74, 75 to 79, or 80 to 84.


METHODS
All participants underwent visual acuity (VA) testing using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study acuity chart. Lens opacities were graded using the Lens Opacities Classification System III after pupil dilation. Causes of visual impairment, other than cataract, were identified by thorough ophthalmologic examination.


METHODS
Prevalence of lens opacities.


RESULTS
Five hundred sixty-five persons underwent a complete examination (participation rate, 80.7%). As expected, the presence of lens opacities increased with age. Using a definition of cataract based on morphologic changes only, prevalences of cataract in one or both eyes were 23.5% for women and 14.0% for men in the entire cohort. If prevalence of previous cataract surgery was included, prevalence rose to 47.9% for women and 27.3% for men. In all age groups, lens opacities were denser and cataract prevalence was higher in women than in men. Consequently, VA was lower in females than in men, when other reasons for visual impairment were excluded.


CONCLUSIONS
Lens opacities were common in the studied age groups and increased with age. In all studied age groups, lens opacities were denser in women than in men.
Ostberg
Anders
A
Eye Department, Kärnsjukhuset, Skövde, Sweden.
Löth
Anne
A
Gustafson
Deborah
D
Lindblom
Bertil
B
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014792:Visual Acuity