ABSTRACT z|N*Gs>,
Purpose: To quantify the prevalence of cataract, the outcomes \Xg`@JrTM
of cataract surgery and the factors related to /.m}y$@GV
unoperated cataract in Australia. h56s ~(?O
Methods: Participants were recruited from the Visual |Fzt|
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Impairment Project: a cluster, stratified sample of more than 3WY:Fn+#
5000 Victorians aged 40 years and over. At examination 8EZ,hY^
sites interviews, clinical examinations and lens photography EaN^<
were performed. Cataract was defined in participants who z~yLc{M
had: had previous cataract surgery, cortical cataract greater C3 (PI,,
than 4/16, nuclear greater than Wilmer standard 2, or `qr.@0whP
posterior subcapsular greater than 1 mm2. %lN4"jtx
Results: The participant group comprised 3271 Melbourne ;+VHi%5Z
residents, 403 Melbourne nursing home residents and 1473 m\J"P'=
rural residents.The weighted rate of any cataract in Victoria HlX 2:\\
was 21.5%. The overall weighted rate of prior cataract H?dEgubg7]
surgery was 3.79%. Two hundred and forty-nine eyes had [E/^bM+
had prior cataract surgery. Of these 249 procedures, 49 \AB*C_Ri
(20%) were aphakic, 6 (2.4%) had anterior chamber e\i}@]
intraocular lenses and 194 (78%) had posterior chamber ;i;;{j@$i
intraocular lenses.Two hundred and eleven of these operated *",
BP]]
eyes (85%) had best-corrected visual acuity of 6/12 or )]m_ L$9
better, the legal requirement for a driver’s license.Twentyseven B7BikxUa
(11%) had visual acuity of less than 6/18 (moderate ? 1b*9G%i
vision impairment). Complications of cataract surgery ,DWC=:@X
caused reduced vision in four of the 27 eyes (15%), or 1.9% <<9Y=%C+
of operated eyes. Three of these four eyes had undergone OL$^7F
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intracapsular cataract extraction and the fourth eye had an =J&aN1Hgt
opaque posterior capsule. No one had bilateral vision Jl^THoEL
impairment as a result of cataract surgery. Surprisingly, no {_*$X
particular demographic factors (such as age, gender, rural Z~Z+Yt;,9a
residence, occupation, employment status, health insurance v_ W03\
status, ethnicity) were related to the presence of unoperated p`LPO
cataract. ^,;8ra*h
Conclusions: Although the overall prevalence of cataract is z6Jfu:_N!
quite high, no particular subgroup is systematically underserviced X~Vr}
in terms of cataract surgery. Overall, the results of f Tc,"{
cataract surgery are very good, with the majority of eyes vdN0YCXG
achieving driving vision following cataract extraction. ]&/KAk
Key words: cataract extraction, health planning, health ,\RxKSU
services accessibility, prevalence ec` $2u
INTRODUCTION HR83{B21
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and, in O6pL )6d
Australia, cataract extractions account for the majority of all juuV3et
ophthalmic procedures.1 Over the period 1985–94, the rate (e;9,~u)
of cataract surgery in Australia was twice as high as would be 6|D,`dk3U
expected from the growth in the elderly population.1
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Although there have been a number of studies reporting kDG'5X;+
the prevalence of cataract in various populations,2–6 there is 7+I2"Hy
little information about determinants of cataract surgery in wB;'+d&
the population. A previous survey of Australian ophthalmologists 5Y8/ZW~D0
showed that patient concern and lifestyle, rather uvrfR?%QK
than visual acuity itself, are the primary factors for referral L.xzI-I@D
for cataract surgery.7 This supports prior research which has yv<