Etiology of ocular diseases in elderly Amis aborigines in Eastern Taiwan (The Amis Eye Study).
OBJECTIVE
To determine the incidence of and risk factors associated with major ocular diseases in the elderly Amis population of Taiwan.


METHODS
This population-based cross-sectional study is the most current survey of ocular diseases among elderly Amis. The overall response rate was 61.2%, with 2316 participants screened. All ocular examinations were performed using a mobile ophthalmology setup staffed by an ophthalmologist with 30 years of experience.


RESULTS
The mean age of the participants was 71.65 years. Cataracts were the most common ocular disease (82.6%), followed by pterygium (44.1%), arteriosclerotic changes in retinal vessels (35.7%), hypertensive retinopathy (18.5 %), age-related macular degeneration (5.2%), optic neuropathy (4.6%), corneal opacity (4.6%), and diabetic retinopathy (3.3%). Glaucoma (1.0%) and high myopia (0.39%) were minor ocular diseases among elderly Amis. The prevalence of diabetes was 15.4% and that of hypertension was 40.0%.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatable diseases such as cataracts and pterygium were the most common ocular diseases in the Amis tribes. The relatively low incidence of glaucoma was likely due to the unique genetic background of this population.
Huang
Tzu-Lun
TL
Department of Ophthalmology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
Hsu
Sheng-Yao
SY
Tsai
Rong-Kung
RK
Sheu
Min-Muh
MM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008952:Mobile Health Units; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology