BioMed Central
8wvHg_U6W Page 1 of 7
T`":Q1n (page number not for citation purposes)
el*|@#k} BMC Ophthalmology
`gx\m=xG Research article Open Access
c-(RjQ~M5 Comparison of age-specific cataract prevalence in two
cB){b'WJ population-based surveys 6 years apart
?D _4KFr Ava Grace Tan†, Jie Jin Wang*†, Elena Rochtchina† and Paul Mitchell†
<efO+X! Address: Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital,
(WC
=om Westmead, NSW, Australia
SoM,o]s#y Email: Ava Grace Tan -
ava_tan@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Jie Jin Wang* -
jiejin_wang@wmi.usyd.edu.au;
+;lDU}$ Elena Rochtchina -
elena_rochtchina@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Paul Mitchell -
paul_mitchell@wmi.usyd.edu.au @i!+Z * Corresponding author †Equal contributors
wg%Z Abstract
xOKJOl Background: In this study, we aimed to compare age-specific cortical, nuclear and posterior
]pBEoktp subcapsular (PSC) cataract prevalence in two surveys 6 years apart.
:XFQ}Cl Methods: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3654 participants (82.4% of those eligible) in
F\xIVY cross-section I (1992–4) and 3509 participants (75.1% of survivors and 85.2% of newly eligible) in
<Hr<QiAK cross-section II (1997–2000, 66.5% overlap with cross-section I). Cataract was assessed from lens
Nuot[1kS photographs following the Wisconsin Cataract Grading System. Cortical cataract was defined if
}.)R#hG? cortical opacity comprised ≥ 5% of lens area. Nuclear cataract was defined if nuclear opacity ≥
/ ^d9At614 Wisconsin standard 4. PSC was defined if any present. Any cataract was defined to include persons
Z40k>t
D who had previous cataract surgery. Weighted kappa for inter-grader reliability was 0.82, 0.55 and
g 4=1['wW 0.82 for cortical, nuclear and PSC cataract, respectively. We assessed age-specific prevalence using
hzr,
%r an interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age group were independent between the
Db|JR two surveys.
qfl!>
Results: Age and gender distributions were similar between the two populations. The age-specific
hbJy<e1W prevalence of cortical (23.8% in 1st, 23.7% in 2nd) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 6.0%) was similar. The
1/?Wa prevalence of nuclear cataract increased slightly from 18.7% to 23.9%. After age standardization,
C;HEvq7 the similar prevalence of cortical (23.8%, 23.5%) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 5.9%), and the increased
*uRDB9#9, prevalence of nuclear cataract (18.7%, 24.2%) remained.
*
cW%Q@lit Conclusion: In two surveys of two population-based samples with similar age and gender
w:%NEa,Z distributions, we found a relatively stable cortical and PSC cataract prevalence over a 6-year period.
4 N$Wpx The increased prevalence of nuclear cataract deserves further study.
Sy <E@1 Background
dNf9,P_} Age-related cataract is the leading cause of reversible visual
@JhkUGG]p impairment in older persons [1-6]. In Australia, it is
mv:@ D estimated that by the year 2021, the number of people
,^c-}`!K affected by cataract will increase by 63%, due to population
,)xtl`fc aging [7]. Surgical intervention is an effective treatment
$!9U\Au>2 for cataract and normal vision (> 20/40) can usually
Z1q<) O1QX be restored with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.
q[qX O5 Cataract surgery with IOL implantation is currently the
s-Gd{=%/q most commonly performed, and is, arguably, the most
%1k"K~eu cost effective surgical procedure worldwide. Performance
U9`Co&Z2 Published: 20 April 2006
v2]N5 BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17 doi:10.1186/1471-2415-6-17
,x&WE@tD| Received: 14 December 2005
N~v<8vJq` Accepted: 20 April 2006
ZKt{3P This article is available from:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 J)Yz@0#T(; © 2006 Tan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
nt>3 i! l This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0),
aU.3 which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
<Ffru?o4j BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
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U+B{\38
(page number not for citation purposes)
qm_
r~j of this surgical procedure has been continuously increasing
rwSR
in the last two decades. Data from the Australian
Fg
p|gw4 Health Insurance Commission has shown a steady
)g8Kicox5 increase in Medicare claims for cataract surgery [8]. A 2.6-
:##$-K*W" fold increase in the total number of cataract procedures
PyI"B96gz from 1985 to 1994 has been documented in Australia [9].
GE]
QRKf The rate of cataract surgery per thousand persons aged 65
&$T7eOiZ years or older has doubled in the last 20 years [8,9]. In the
n|
H8O3@ Blue Mountains Eye Study population, we observed a onethird
fA1{-JzV<4 increase in cataract surgery prevalence over a mean
fS'` 9 6-year interval, from 6% to nearly 8% in two cross-sectional
_
j'm2BAO population-based samples with a similar age range
$rQ7"w J [10]. Further increases in cataract surgery performance
\goiW;b would be expected as a result of improved surgical skills
fbdpDVmpU and technique, together with extending cataract surgical
=s.0 f:( benefits to a greater number of older people and an
'.%Omc
increased number of persons with surgery performed on
3e-E/6zH6 both eyes.
Jc]k\U Both the prevalence and incidence of age-related cataract
eFy
{VpO+ link directly to the demand for, and the outcome of, cataract
+,7vbs3 surgery and eye health care provision. This report
N2j^fZd_ aimed to assess temporal changes in the prevalence of cortical
fO#nSB/
8 and nuclear cataract and posterior subcapsular cataract
)iC@n8f7o (PSC) in two cross-sectional population-based
Hv'
OO@z surveys 6 years apart.
Mg}/gO%o
Methods
q TWQ! The Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) is a populationbased
`{IL.9M!f cohort study of common eye diseases and other
9zx
9t health outcomes. The study involved eligible permanent
q!><:"#[G residents aged 49 years and older, living in two postcode
&>Z;>6J, areas in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia.
E}0g Participants were identified through a census and were
]sP invited to participate. The study was approved at each
c*R\fQd stage of the data collection by the Human Ethics Committees
f4 +P2j of the University of Sydney and the Western Sydney
=l]
lwA- Area Health Service and adhered to the recommendations
IY!8j$
'| of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent
:1"k`AG was obtained from each participant.
o7PS1qcya< Details of the methods used in this study have been
_ q>|pt.W described previously [11]. The baseline examinations
]70ZerQ~L (BMES cross-section I) were conducted during 1992–
"?iyvzo 1994 and included 3654 (82.4%) of 4433 eligible residents.
k7sD"xR3 Follow-up examinations (BMES IIA) were conducted
Cd6th
F) during 1997–1999, with 2335 (75.0% of BMES
8NNs_~+x} cross section I survivors) participating. A repeat census of
>-3>Rjo> the same area was performed in 1999 and identified 1378
xd"+ &YT newly eligible residents who moved into the area or the
W|sU[dxZ eligible age group. During 1999–2000, 1174 (85.2%) of
f4f)9n this group participated in an extension study (BMES IIB).
3=Uy t BMES cross-section II thus includes BMES IIA (66.5%)
nC?Lz1re and BMES IIB (33.5%) participants (n = 3509).
dd
+lQJ c Similar procedures were used for all stages of data collection
=CdrhP_ at both surveys. A questionnaire was administered
3U!=R- including demographic, family and medical history. A
zR/mz) 6_ detailed eye examination included subjective refraction,
G-:7,9 slit-lamp (Topcon SL-7e camera, Topcon Optical Co,
;v.J
D7 Tokyo, Japan) and retroillumination (Neitz CT-R camera,
#3RElI Neitz Instrument Co, Tokyo, Japan) photography of the
6V6Mo}QF
s lens. Grading of lens photographs in the BMES has been
s%~Nx3, previously described [12]. Briefly, masked grading was
'V <Z
mJ2 performed on the lens photographs using the Wisconsin
c@nh>G:y{& Cataract Grading System [13]. Cortical cataract and PSC
z/p^C~|} were assessed from the retroillumination photographs by
_[l&{, estimating the percentage of the circular grid involved.
F,K))325 Cortical cataract was defined when cortical opacity
nKEw$~F involved at least 5% of the total lens area. PSC was defined
*Utx0Me when opacity comprised at least 1% of the total lens area.
\CS4aIp Slit-lamp photographs were used to assess nuclear cataract
S+^hK1jL using the Wisconsin standard set of four lens photographs
7*WO9R/ [13]. Nuclear cataract was defined when nuclear opacity
F8/n; was at least as great as the standard 4 photograph. Any cataract
@$%.iQ7A; was defined to include persons who had previous
e(&u3 #7Nn cataract surgery as well as those with any of three cataract
#~qzaETv, types. Inter-grader reliability was high, with weighted
$DnR[V}rR! kappa 0.82 for cortical cataract, 0.55 (simple kappa 0.75)
t!B,%,Dp for nuclear cataract and 0.82 for PSC grading. The intragrader
;/IXw>O(/ reliability for nuclear cataract was assessed with
55Mtjqfp simple kappa 0.83 for the senior grader who graded
adgd7JjI* nuclear cataract at both surveys. All PSC cases were confirmed
Q+_z*
by an ophthalmologist (PM).
t.bM]QU!1 In cross-section I, 219 persons (6.0%) had missing or
W,!7_nl"u ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3435 with photographs
x~D8XN{ available for cortical cataract and PSC assessment,
WVp6/H
S while 1153 (31.6%) had randomly missing or ungradable
(b"q(:5oX Topcon photographs due to a camera malfunction, leaving
ol
{N^fiK 2501 with photographs available for nuclear cataract
>-w#&T &K assessment. Comparison of characteristics between participants
|}X[Yg=FG with and without Neitz or Topcon photographs in
?T|0"|\"' cross-section I showed no statistically significant differences
jj 'epbA between the two groups, as reported previously
K,*z8@ [12]. In cross-section II, 441 persons (12.5%) had missing
G"6XJYoI or ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3068 for cortical
#2Iw%H 2q& cataract and PSC assessment, and 648 (18.5%) had
U5?QneK missing or ungradable Topcon photographs, leaving 2860
6UqDpL7^U for nuclear cataract assessment.
)
N\ BC Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Analysis
)%8st' System (SAS, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Age-adjusted
>5Y. prevalence was calculated using direct standardization of
53bVhPGv the cross-section II population to the cross-section I population.
=&FaMR2 We assessed age-specific prevalence using an
lWP]}Uy=5~ interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age
n5tsaU; group were independent between the two cross-sectional
lB#7j surveys.
'cc{sjG BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
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!b Page 3 of 7
{yd(n_PqY (page number not for citation purposes)
HTm`_}G9 Results
1/?K/gL Characteristics of the two survey populations have been
kcMg`pJ4< previously compared [14] and showed that age and sex
?_T[]I' distributions were similar. Table 1 compares participant
K7i@7 characteristics between the two cross-sections. Cross-section
J
L1]auO* II participants generally had higher rates of diabetes,
$
IdU hypertension, myopia and more users of inhaled steroids.
oc[z dIk Cataract prevalence rates in cross-sections I and II are
w`dSc@ : shown in Figure 1. The overall prevalence of cortical cataract
2 ksbDl}
was 23.8% and 23.7% in cross-sections I and II,
>
-(Zx respectively (age-sex adjusted P = 0.81). Corresponding
-uhVw_qq# prevalence of PSC was 6.3% and 6.0% for the two crosssections
PM&NY8|Zy (age-sex adjusted P = 0.60). There was an
>?ec"P%vS/ increased prevalence of nuclear cataract, from 18.7% in
o/=61K8D cross-section I to 23.9% in cross-section II over the 6-year
>q ,Z*s>? period (age-sex adjusted P < 0.001). Prevalence of any cataract
7=qvu&{ (including persons who had cataract surgery), however,
,zZ@QW5 was relatively stable (46.9% and 46.8% in crosssections
- "{hP I and II, respectively).
]M~7L[ After age-standardization, these prevalence rates remained
J]Rh+@r. stable for cortical cataract (23.8% and 23.5% in the two
DwWm(8&6;} surveys) and PSC (6.3% and 5.9%). The slightly increased
HLL=.: P prevalence of nuclear cataract (from 18.7% to 24.2%) was
X|}Q4T` not altered.
n_wF_K\h Table 2 shows the age-specific prevalence rates for cortical
iI &z5Q2 cataract, PSC and nuclear cataract in cross-sections I and
TJZar Nc$ II. A similar trend of increasing cataract prevalence with
b7gN|Hw5 H increasing age was evident for all three types of cataract in
u EERNo& both surveys. Comparing the age-specific prevalence
;3%Y@FS@ between the two surveys, a reduction in PSC prevalence in
D'^UZZlI^I cross-section II was observed in the older age groups (≥ 75
GXRW"4eF5 years). In contrast, increased nuclear cataract prevalence
RPjw12Ly in cross-section II was observed in the older age groups (≥
$
% B 70 years). Age-specific cortical cataract prevalence was relatively
,4;'s consistent between the two surveys, except for a
{CFy
% reduction in prevalence observed in the 80–84 age group
]Z52L`k
and an increasing prevalence in the older age groups (≥ 85
['3E'q,4& years).
!\'HKk~V Similar gender differences in cataract prevalence were
j zwHb'4B3 observed in both surveys (Table 3). Higher prevalence of
,F+,A].wG cortical and nuclear cataract in women than men was evident
O[p c$Pi but the difference was only significant for cortical
<UTO\w% cataract (age-adjusted odds ratio, OR, for women 1.3,
h<n 2pz} 95% confidence intervals, CI, 1.1–1.5 in cross-section I
w@\4ft6d and OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.6 in cross-section II). In con-
{s6hi#R> Table 1: Participant characteristics.
_SH~.Mt_! Characteristics Cross-section I Cross-section II
j+>N&.zs n % n %
HYZp=*eb Age (mean) (66.2) (66.7)
;q#Pl!*5 50–54 485 13.3 350 10.0
n;~'W*Ln0 55–59 534 14.6 580 16.5
s{4
2_O?,c 60–64 638 17.5 600 17.1
OM`Ws5W}f 65–69 671 18.4 639 18.2
U99Uny9 70–74 538 14.7 572 16.3
#RKd>ig% 75–79 422 11.6 407 11.6
m\_v{1g 80–84 230 6.3 226 6.4
Ri*mu*r\} 85–89 100 2.7 110 3.1
WHu[A/##'] 90+ 36 1.0 24 0.7
E
`V?I
o Female 2072 56.7 1998 57.0
\
VypkbE+ Ever Smokers 1784 51.2 1789 51.2
$&i8/pD
Use of inhaled steroids 370 10.94 478 13.8^
tg9{(_t/W History of:
lg{M\
+ Diabetes 284 7.8 347 9.9^
UMHFq- Hypertension 1669 46.0 1825 52.2^
_T;Kn'Gz(& Emmetropia* 1558 42.9 1478 42.2
9S<V5$} Myopia* 442 12.2 495 14.1^
m;qqjzy Hyperopia* 1633 45.0 1532 43.7
(-@I'CFd n = number of persons affected
SPauno <M * best spherical equivalent refraction correction
OU*skc> ^ P < 0.01
?uW}
XAi BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
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<X?xr f (page number not for citation purposes)
&3itBQF t
y!|4]/G]?t rast, men had slightly higher PSC prevalence than women
//bQD>NBO in both cross-sections but the difference was not significant
gj&5>brP (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.8–1.4 for men in cross-section I
%H3iX^}* and OR 1.2, 95% 0.9–1.6 in cross-section II).
qV-1aaA
Discussion
|`+ (O Findings from two surveys of BMES cross-sectional populations
OD?y with similar age and gender distribution showed
j#YVv c% that the prevalence of cortical cataract and PSC remained
w,X J8+B stable, while the prevalence of nuclear cataract appeared
?q y*` to have increased. Comparison of age-specific prevalence,
;Q[E>j?w= with totally independent samples within each age group,
6H0aHCM confirmed the robustness of our findings from the two
ZbH_h]1$D survey samples. Although lens photographs taken from
(Sj<>xgd the two surveys were graded for nuclear cataract by the
Z`n "}{ same graders, who documented a high inter- and intragrader
~h%H;wC& reliability, we cannot exclude the possibility that
_j~y;R) variations in photography, performed by different photographers,
INR RA may have contributed to the observed difference
8L`wib2 in nuclear cataract prevalence. However, the overall
=r&i`L{] Table 2: Age-specific prevalence of cataract types in cross sections I and II.
%Kh}6 Cataract type Age (years) Cross-section I Cross-section II
z*o2jz?t4 n % (95% CL)* n % (95% CL)*
`*i:z' Cortical 50–54 473 4.4 (2.6–6.3) 338 7.4 (4.6–10.2)
-.Z
y( 55–59 522 9.2 (6.7–11.7) 542 9.0 (6.6–11.5)
EWWCh0
{ 60–64 615 16.4 (13.5–19.4) 556 16.7 (13.6–19.8)
?}C8_I|4~ 65–69 653 26.2 (22.8–29.6) 581 23.6 (20.1–27.0)
R0F&!y!B 70–74 516 31.2 (27.2–35.2) 514 35.4 (31.3–39.6)
~x J#NC+ 75–79 366 40.2 (35.1–45.2) 332 39.8 (34.5–45.1)
C k
/DV 80–84 194 58.8 (51.8–65.8) 163 42.9 (35.3–50.6)
{9~3y2: 85–89 74 52.7 (41.1–64.4) 73 54.8 (43.1–66.5)
,,?XGx 90+ 22 68.2 (47.0–89.3) 14 78.6 (54.0–103.2)
xSq+>, b PSC 50–54 474 2.7 (1.3–4.2) 338 2.4 (0.7–4.0)
MI`<U:-lP 55–59 522 2.9 (1.4–4.3) 541 2.6 (1.3–3.9)
}xgs]\^,73 60–64 616 4.6 (2.9–6.2) 548 5.7 (3.7–7.6)
j3[kG# 65–69 655 6.3 (4.4–8.1) 573 4.5 (2.8–6.3)
>B.KI}dE 70–74 517 6.8 (4.6–8.9) 505 9.7 (7.1–12.3)
sjHcq5#U! 75–79 367 11.4 (8.2–14.7) 327 9.5 (6.3–12.7)
yEVnG`
1
80–84 196 12.2 (7.6–16.9) 155 10.3 (5.5–15.2)
G}nj
71=H 85–89 74 18.9 (9.8–28.1) 69 11.6 (3.9–19.4)
'"6*C*XS 90+ 23 21.7 (3.5–40.0) 11 0.0
(
;KTV*1 Nuclear 50–54 323 1.6 (0.2–2.9) 331 0.9 (–0.2–1.9)
QO4eDSW 55–59 386 2.3 (0.8–3.8) 507 3.6 (1.9–5.2)
]v_u2f' 60–64 453 5.3 (3.2–7.4) 501 11.6 (8.8–14.4)
l?HC-_Pbh 65–69 478 17.2 (13.8–20.1) 534 18.5 (15.2–21.9)
qGzF@p(p8 70–74 392 27.6 (23.1–32.0) 453 36.0 (31.6–40.4)
`b_n\pf] 75–79 255 45.1 (39.0–51.3) 302 55.6 (50.0–61.3)
V7k!;0u
v 80–84 146 54.1 (45.9–62.3) 147 73.5 (66.3–80.7)
"}0)~,{xB 85–89 50 64.0 (50.2–77.8) 70 80.0 (70.4–89.6)
+t(Gt0+ 90+ 18 72.2 (49.3–95.1) 15 73.3 (48.0–98.7)
Jn20^YG n = number of persons
mzf^`/NO * 95% Confidence Limits
PE6ZzxR|U< Cataract FMioguunrtea i1n ps rEeyvea lSetnucdey in cross-sections I and II of the Blue
G6X5`eLQ Cataract prevalence in cross-sections I and II of the Blue
:=K+~?
Mountains Eye Study.
mqiCn]8G 0
~;oaW<" 10
= @ 1{LF; 20
=r~ExW}+ 30
w1+
%+x 40
VrJf g 50
!@FzP@ cortical PSC nuclear any
V :lKF') cataract
=V:Al Cataract type
?p>m;Aq %
uFfk! Cross-section I
<qBM+m$|) Cross-section II
ixB"6O BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
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-CTLQyj) (page number not for citation purposes)
wKbU}29c prevalence of any cataract (including cataract surgery) was
C
Zkmd
relatively stable over the 6-year period.
lXutZ<S[ Although different population-based studies used different
4!-/m7%eF grading systems to assess cataract [15], the overall
u/J1Z>0 prevalence of the three cataract types were similar across
Rvy
Cc!d different study populations [12,16-23]. Most studies have
/'bX}H(dq suggested that nuclear cataract is the most prevalent type
@={
qy} of cataract, followed by cortical cataract [16-20]. Ours and
JcC2Zn6 other studies reported that cortical cataract was the most
&3\3wcZ,q prevalent type [12,21-23].
$?DEO[p. Our age-specific prevalence data show a reduction of
sl)]yCD|5 15.9% in cortical cataract prevalence for the 80–84 year
nHQWO
age group, concordant with an increase in cataract surgery
NZ%v{? prevalence by 9% in those aged 80+ years observed in the
r<