Prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision in Timor-Leste.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision in people aged > or = 40 years in Timor-Leste.


METHODS
A population-based cross-sectional survey using multistage cluster random sampling to identify 50 clusters of 30 people. A cause of vision loss was determined for each eye presenting with visual acuity worse than 6/18.


RESULTS
Of 1470 people enumerated, 1414 (96.2%) were examined. The age, gender and domicile-adjusted prevalence of functional blindness (presenting vision worse than 6/60 in the better eye) was 7.4% (95% CI 6.1 to 8.8), and for blindness at 3/60 was 4.1% (95% CI 3.1 to 5.1). The adjusted prevalence for low vision (better eye presenting vision of 6/60 or better, but worse than 6/18) was 17.7% (95% CI 15.7 to 19.7). Gender was not a risk factor for blindness or low vision, but increasing age, illiteracy, subsistence farming, unemployment and rural domicile were risk factors for both. Cataract was the commonest cause of blindness (72.9%) and an important cause of low vision (17.8%). Uncorrected refractive error caused 81.3% of low vision.


CONCLUSIONS
Strategies that make good-quality cataract and refractive error services available, affordable and accessible, especially in rural areas, will have the greatest impact on vision impairment.
Ramke
Jacqueline
J
The International Centre for Eyecare Education, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Palagyi
Anna
A
Naduvilath
Thomas
T
du Toit
Renee
R
Brian
Garry
G
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
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