title: Prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision among adults in Fiji.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision among adults aged ≥40 years in Fiji.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults aged ≥40 years in Viti Levu, Fiji.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based cross-sectional survey used multistage cluster random sampling to identify 34 clusters of 40 people. A cause of vision loss was determined for each eye with presenting vision worse than 6/18.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blindness (better eye presenting vision worse than 6/60), low vision (better eye presenting vision worse than 6/18, but 6/60 or better).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1892 people enumerated, 1381 participated (73.0%). Adjusting sample data for ethnicity, gender, age and domicile, the prevalence of blindness was 2.6% (95% confidence interval 1.7, 3.4) and low vision was 7.2% (95% confidence interval 5.9, 8.6) among adults aged ≥40 years. On multivariate analysis, being ≥70 years was a risk factor for blindness, but ethnicity, gender and urban/rural domicile were not. Being Indo-Fijian, female and older were risk factors for vision impairment (better eye presenting vision worse than 6/18). Cataract was the most common cause of bilateral blindness (71.1%). Among participants with low vision, uncorrected refractive error caused 63.3% and cataract was responsible for 25.0%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strategies that provide accessible cataract and refractive error services producing good quality outcomes will likely have the greatest impact on reducing vision impairment.
authors.affiliation: The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand, Newmarket, Auckland, New Zealand. jramke@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramke
authors.forename: Garry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brian
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.forename: Mundi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qalo Qoqonokana
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szetu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005367:Fiji / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014792:Visual Acuity; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*