title: Prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision in Timor-Leste.
abstract: 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.
authors: The International Centre for Eyecare Education, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Jacqueline
authors: J
authors: Ramke
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Palagyi
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Naduvilath
authors: Renee
authors: R
authors: du Toit
authors: Garry
authors: G
authors: Brian
mesh_terms: 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
references: Ophthalmology. 2003 Aug;110(8):1491-8
references: 12917162
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 2003 Jul;87(7):820-8
references: 12812875
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 2003 Dec;87(12):1443-8
references: 14660448
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 1993 Jul;77(7):398-9
references: 8343464
references: Bull World Health Organ. 1994;72(5):771-6
references: 7955027
references: Int Ophthalmol. 1994-1995;18(5):287-92
references: 7607810
references: Int J Epidemiol. 1997 Oct;26(5):1049-54
references: 9363527
references: Am J Ophthalmol. 1998 Oct;126(4):506-14
references: 9780095
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 1998 Jun;82(6):600-5
references: 9797657
references: Indian J Ophthalmol. 1998 Sep;46(3):129-30
references: 10085623
references: Ophthalmology. 1999 Aug;106(8):1602-8
references: 10442910
references: Bull World Health Organ. 2004 Nov;82(11):844-51
references: 15640920
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 2006 Apr;90(4):411-6
references: 16547315
references: Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2006 May-Jun;34(4):335-41
references: 16764653
references: Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2001 Feb;8(1):39-56
references: 11262681
references: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2001 Apr;42(5):908-16
references: 11274066
references: Ophthalmology. 2001 Apr;108(4):679-85
references: 11297483
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 2001 Jun;85(6):653-7
references: 11371481
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 2002 May;86(5):505-12
references: 11973242
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 2002 Sep;86(9):951-6
references: 12185113
references: Int J Health Serv. 2002;32(3):607-23
references: 12211296
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 2003 Sep;87(9):1075-8
references: 12928268