title: Prevalence of glaucoma in a rural northern china adult population: a population-based survey in kailu county, inner mongolia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence and types of glaucoma in a rural population in northern China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects randomly selected from the population 40 years of age and older in Kailu County, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each subject underwent a screening examination consisting of an interview and ophthalmic examinations, including applanation tonometry, central corneal thickness, gonioscopy, slit-lamp examination, dilated fundus evaluation, and a screening visual field test using frequency-doubling technology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Glaucoma was diagnosed using International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 5949 individuals 40 years of age and older, 5197 (87.36%) were examined. Of these, 169 (3.28%) had diagnosed glaucoma, giving an age- and gender-standardized prevalence of 2.90% (95% confidence interval, 2.02%-3.78%). The age- and gender-standardized prevalence of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) was 1.42% (95% confidence interval, 0.82%-2.02%) and that for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) was 1.41% (95% confidence interval, 0.79%-2.02%). Of the 169 subjects with glaucoma, 54 (60%) and 3 (4.1%) had a previous known history of PACG or POAG, respectively. Unilateral blindness resulting from primary glaucoma was observed in 27 subjects (16.56%; 19 PACG/8 POAG), and bilateral blindness was present in 12 subjects (7.36%; 6 PACG/6 POAG). The prevalence of all types of glaucoma was increased with older age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The adjusted prevalence of glaucoma in this Chinese population was 2.90%, comparable with other data from Asia. The ratio of PACG to POAG was approximately equal. More than 90% of POAG cases previously were undetected, and nearly 30% of subjects with glaucoma were blind in at least 1 eye.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
authors.forename: Wulian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Qiuju
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Huiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006068:Gonioscopy; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D058609:Visual Field Tests