ABSTRACT l;aO"_E1m
Purpose: To quantify the prevalence of cataract, the outcomes &i`(y>\
of cataract surgery and the factors related to ^
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unoperated cataract in Australia. H#nJWe_9A
Methods: Participants were recruited from the Visual G(F=6L~;
Impairment Project: a cluster, stratified sample of more than M#8_Qbvfk
5000 Victorians aged 40 years and over. At examination s{Y-Vdx
sites interviews, clinical examinations and lens photography 6Rg>h
were performed. Cataract was defined in participants who _IxYnm`pc
had: had previous cataract surgery, cortical cataract greater JV
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than 4/16, nuclear greater than Wilmer standard 2, or 3_i29ghv
posterior subcapsular greater than 1 mm2. D7B g!*
Results: The participant group comprised 3271 Melbourne 4VsttT
residents, 403 Melbourne nursing home residents and 1473 )7E7K%:b,
rural residents.The weighted rate of any cataract in Victoria gKWUHlQY
was 21.5%. The overall weighted rate of prior cataract 2G:KaQ)
surgery was 3.79%. Two hundred and forty-nine eyes had K\lu;
had prior cataract surgery. Of these 249 procedures, 49 {p(6bsn_#]
(20%) were aphakic, 6 (2.4%) had anterior chamber [8WG
intraocular lenses and 194 (78%) had posterior chamber 9:E.Iy
intraocular lenses.Two hundred and eleven of these operated )g U#[}6H
eyes (85%) had best-corrected visual acuity of 6/12 or 69odE+-X.
better, the legal requirement for a driver’s license.Twentyseven y;.5AvfD
(11%) had visual acuity of less than 6/18 (moderate b'`C<Rk
vision impairment). Complications of cataract surgery o7v9xm+
caused reduced vision in four of the 27 eyes (15%), or 1.9% $JK,9G[Vu
of operated eyes. Three of these four eyes had undergone +ul.P)1J6
intracapsular cataract extraction and the fourth eye had an g- INhzMu
opaque posterior capsule. No one had bilateral vision 1n>AN.nI
impairment as a result of cataract surgery. Surprisingly, no Qgo|\=
particular demographic factors (such as age, gender, rural H]{`q
residence, occupation, employment status, health insurance k/Ao?R=@gI
status, ethnicity) were related to the presence of unoperated Y)AHM0;g
cataract. 3X`N~_+
Conclusions: Although the overall prevalence of cataract is S'IQbHz*
quite high, no particular subgroup is systematically underserviced qFY>/fCP4
in terms of cataract surgery. Overall, the results of Gs*X> D
cataract surgery are very good, with the majority of eyes =u5( zaBe
achieving driving vision following cataract extraction. O<?.iF%
Key words: cataract extraction, health planning, health
+OOmy
services accessibility, prevalence vC^n_
INTRODUCTION AnBD~h h
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and, in e{ZS"e`!
Australia, cataract extractions account for the majority of all lygv#s-T
ophthalmic procedures.1 Over the period 1985–94, the rate <;!#+|L/
of cataract surgery in Australia was twice as high as would be ~8lB#NuN
expected from the growth in the elderly population.1 %hRH80W|
Although there have been a number of studies reporting .DhB4v&
the prevalence of cataract in various populations,2–6 there is >#5jO9
little information about determinants of cataract surgery in LH q~`
the population. A previous survey of Australian ophthalmologists p2wDk^$
showed that patient concern and lifestyle, rather sN/8OLc
than visual acuity itself, are the primary factors for referral 6{[ uCxxl
for cataract surgery.7 This supports prior research which has ByjgM`
shown that visual acuity is not a strong predictor of need for
K'U=);W
cataract surgery.8,9 Elsewhere, socioeconomic status has AK$i0Rn;pm
been shown to be related to cataract surgery rates.10 z3|5E#m
To appropriately plan health care services, information is )H*BTfmt
needed about the prevalence of age-related cataract in the %Lfy!]Ru
community as well as the factors associated with cataract 4{ED~w|
surgery. The purpose of this study is to quantify the prevalence 2<uBC
of any cataract in Australia, to describe the factors "'I|#dKoG
related to unoperated cataract in the community and to cx*$GaMk
describe the visual outcomes of cataract surgery. )JA^FQ5N
METHODS 6oq/\D$6~
Study population S 0mt8/ M
Details about the study methodology for the Visual D'"l%p
Impairment Project have been published previously.11 dPF*G$
Briefly, cluster sampling within three strata was employed to #UqE%g`J
recruit subjects aged 40 years and over to participate. $8NM[R.8^4
Within the Melbourne Statistical Division, nine pairs of qGECw#
census collector districts were randomly selected. Fourteen S1_):JvV
nursing homes within a 5 km radius of these nine test sites x Z`h8
were randomly chosen to recruit nursing home residents. 'M
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Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (2000) 28, 77–82 NrfAr}v'E
Original Article \|C~VU@
Operated and unoperated cataract in Australia r<