BioMed Central
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6 BMC Ophthalmology
v8p-<N) Research article Open Access
67Rsd2 Comparison of age-specific cataract prevalence in two
+[@Ug`5M population-based surveys 6 years apart
OJe#s;oH Ava Grace Tan†, Jie Jin Wang*†, Elena Rochtchina† and Paul Mitchell†
Cp(,+dD Address: Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital,
fM,U| Westmead, NSW, Australia
'^"6EF.R
Email: Ava Grace Tan -
ava_tan@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Jie Jin Wang* -
jiejin_wang@wmi.usyd.edu.au;
JVE]Qb_ Elena Rochtchina -
elena_rochtchina@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Paul Mitchell -
paul_mitchell@wmi.usyd.edu.au bv,_7UOG * Corresponding author †Equal contributors
$$`E@\5P Abstract
1V(tt{ Background: In this study, we aimed to compare age-specific cortical, nuclear and posterior
E&r*[;$ subcapsular (PSC) cataract prevalence in two surveys 6 years apart.
}
_Yk.@J5 Methods: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3654 participants (82.4% of those eligible) in
N
}Ozm6Mc cross-section I (1992–4) and 3509 participants (75.1% of survivors and 85.2% of newly eligible) in
wZN<Og+; cross-section II (1997–2000, 66.5% overlap with cross-section I). Cataract was assessed from lens
~t\Hb8o photographs following the Wisconsin Cataract Grading System. Cortical cataract was defined if
0Pw?@uV cortical opacity comprised ≥ 5% of lens area. Nuclear cataract was defined if nuclear opacity ≥
KY$6=/?U_ Wisconsin standard 4. PSC was defined if any present. Any cataract was defined to include persons
OO5k_J who had previous cataract surgery. Weighted kappa for inter-grader reliability was 0.82, 0.55 and
+o})Cs`|=A 0.82 for cortical, nuclear and PSC cataract, respectively. We assessed age-specific prevalence using
'V=w?G
5 an interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age group were independent between the
pJ[7m two surveys.
NFTEp0eP Results: Age and gender distributions were similar between the two populations. The age-specific
zn|~{9>y prevalence of cortical (23.8% in 1st, 23.7% in 2nd) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 6.0%) was similar. The
`vWFTv prevalence of nuclear cataract increased slightly from 18.7% to 23.9%. After age standardization,
A8Q1x/d( the similar prevalence of cortical (23.8%, 23.5%) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 5.9%), and the increased
I;kKY
prevalence of nuclear cataract (18.7%, 24.2%) remained.
f;M7y:A8q, Conclusion: In two surveys of two population-based samples with similar age and gender
Z{nJ\` distributions, we found a relatively stable cortical and PSC cataract prevalence over a 6-year period.
A7@5lHMF The increased prevalence of nuclear cataract deserves further study.
3Tv;<hF Background
p\5DW' Age-related cataract is the leading cause of reversible visual
ZVu&q{s, impairment in older persons [1-6]. In Australia, it is
j2NnDz' estimated that by the year 2021, the number of people
X]d[" affected by cataract will increase by 63%, due to population
KZ^W@*`D aging [7]. Surgical intervention is an effective treatment
.r!:` 6 for cataract and normal vision (> 20/40) can usually
AK%2#}k. be restored with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.
wlr/zquAE9 Cataract surgery with IOL implantation is currently the
sLh9=Kh` most commonly performed, and is, arguably, the most
Enr8"+.( cost effective surgical procedure worldwide. Performance
KMZ:$H Published: 20 April 2006
VE{[52 BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17 doi:10.1186/1471-2415-6-17
afY~Y?PJ< Received: 14 December 2005
|4NH}XVYJ> Accepted: 20 April 2006
3 "fBp This article is available from:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 *ZP$dQ © 2006 Tan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
A+i|zo5p=k This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0),
!}fq%8"-
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
>-fOkOWXy BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 Oi#F Page 2 of 7
mEsOYIu{ (page number not for citation purposes)
f,{O%*PUA of this surgical procedure has been continuously increasing
#`R`!4 in the last two decades. Data from the Australian
&`hx Health Insurance Commission has shown a steady
"@IrBi6 increase in Medicare claims for cataract surgery [8]. A 2.6-
YI!ecx%/4 fold increase in the total number of cataract procedures
7u/_3x1 from 1985 to 1994 has been documented in Australia [9].
-m*IpDi The rate of cataract surgery per thousand persons aged 65
w_o|k&~, years or older has doubled in the last 20 years [8,9]. In the
!#P|2>>u Blue Mountains Eye Study population, we observed a onethird
1I< <`7' increase in cataract surgery prevalence over a mean
9AQMB1D*v4 6-year interval, from 6% to nearly 8% in two cross-sectional
Cz@[l=-T7 population-based samples with a similar age range
P9(]9np,, [10]. Further increases in cataract surgery performance
$|~YXH~O would be expected as a result of improved surgical skills
[_
W#8{ and technique, together with extending cataract surgical
(3kz(6S benefits to a greater number of older people and an
O_@ increased number of persons with surgery performed on
>
cFH=um both eyes.
w6ZyMR,T Both the prevalence and incidence of age-related cataract
0N02 E link directly to the demand for, and the outcome of, cataract
w\wS?E4G surgery and eye health care provision. This report
D*!p8J8Ku aimed to assess temporal changes in the prevalence of cortical
.{,PC and nuclear cataract and posterior subcapsular cataract
.Y!]{c (PSC) in two cross-sectional population-based
Jo%5 NXts4 surveys 6 years apart.
@uru4>1_dy Methods
|8,|>EyqK The Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) is a populationbased
fZM)> cohort study of common eye diseases and other
3/+r*lv>X health outcomes. The study involved eligible permanent
? [~ "$ residents aged 49 years and older, living in two postcode
M6yzqAh areas in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia.
~fL:pVp Participants were identified through a census and were
e) Q{yO invited to participate. The study was approved at each
n/ ]<Bc? stage of the data collection by the Human Ethics Committees
|^z?(?w of the University of Sydney and the Western Sydney
){yw
k Area Health Service and adhered to the recommendations
RZwjc<T of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent
`U-i{i was obtained from each participant.
8^/V2;~^,> Details of the methods used in this study have been
T )QZ9a described previously [11]. The baseline examinations
wD(1Sr5n (BMES cross-section I) were conducted during 1992–
bwHl}3 1994 and included 3654 (82.4%) of 4433 eligible residents.
pVuJ4+` Follow-up examinations (BMES IIA) were conducted
vkFfHzR$ during 1997–1999, with 2335 (75.0% of BMES
!uIT5D cross section I survivors) participating. A repeat census of
RL0#WBR the same area was performed in 1999 and identified 1378
D%PrwfR newly eligible residents who moved into the area or the
,k% \f]a eligible age group. During 1999–2000, 1174 (85.2%) of
irqNnnMGEa this group participated in an extension study (BMES IIB).
qs$%/ BMES cross-section II thus includes BMES IIA (66.5%)
() l#}H`m and BMES IIB (33.5%) participants (n = 3509).
f-Yp`lnn.d Similar procedures were used for all stages of data collection
#2N']VP at both surveys. A questionnaire was administered
Mi|PhDXMh including demographic, family and medical history. A
K YSyz)M} detailed eye examination included subjective refraction,
d%IM`S;fh slit-lamp (Topcon SL-7e camera, Topcon Optical Co,
43i@5F] Tokyo, Japan) and retroillumination (Neitz CT-R camera,
L^}i7nJ Neitz Instrument Co, Tokyo, Japan) photography of the
=(!&8U9 lens. Grading of lens photographs in the BMES has been
F*&A=@/3 previously described [12]. Briefly, masked grading was
:>@6\ performed on the lens photographs using the Wisconsin
0+a-l[!
p Cataract Grading System [13]. Cortical cataract and PSC
(k{rn3, were assessed from the retroillumination photographs by
zQ;jaS3hf estimating the percentage of the circular grid involved.
~/R,oQ1!g} Cortical cataract was defined when cortical opacity
Dd1
\$RBo involved at least 5% of the total lens area. PSC was defined
PL+j;V(< when opacity comprised at least 1% of the total lens area.
v[3QI7E3 Slit-lamp photographs were used to assess nuclear cataract
pN-l82]' using the Wisconsin standard set of four lens photographs
(?9 @nS [13]. Nuclear cataract was defined when nuclear opacity
br@GnjG was at least as great as the standard 4 photograph. Any cataract
z.NJu
q was defined to include persons who had previous
qDMVZb-(# cataract surgery as well as those with any of three cataract
q 9cN2|: types. Inter-grader reliability was high, with weighted
v-(Ry<fT9 kappa 0.82 for cortical cataract, 0.55 (simple kappa 0.75)
v;S_7# for nuclear cataract and 0.82 for PSC grading. The intragrader
GFq,Ca~ reliability for nuclear cataract was assessed with
?9Lp@k~TO simple kappa 0.83 for the senior grader who graded
,KT[ }P7 nuclear cataract at both surveys. All PSC cases were confirmed
:A~6Gk92A by an ophthalmologist (PM).
G*oqhep In cross-section I, 219 persons (6.0%) had missing or
<)D)j[ ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3435 with photographs
GmjTxNU@ available for cortical cataract and PSC assessment,
5$Q}Zxh while 1153 (31.6%) had randomly missing or ungradable
RM5$O+" Topcon photographs due to a camera malfunction, leaving
4#dS.UfI 2501 with photographs available for nuclear cataract
/Dmuvb|A assessment. Comparison of characteristics between participants
d*M:PjG@ with and without Neitz or Topcon photographs in
n`W7g@Sg#I cross-section I showed no statistically significant differences
<-Hw@g between the two groups, as reported previously
;J]Lzh [12]. In cross-section II, 441 persons (12.5%) had missing
li4"|T& or ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3068 for cortical
j9voeV|7 cataract and PSC assessment, and 648 (18.5%) had
)2&U
Rt. missing or ungradable Topcon photographs, leaving 2860
AW\#)Em for nuclear cataract assessment.
<i!:{'% Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Analysis
E1"H(m&6 System (SAS, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Age-adjusted
0@B
hRf5 prevalence was calculated using direct standardization of
w1N-`S: the cross-section II population to the cross-section I population.
54^2=bp We assessed age-specific prevalence using an
W%&[gDp interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age
x%$as; group were independent between the two cross-sectional
;7
F'xz" surveys.
JX $vz*KF BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
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{8d. Page 3 of 7
IXz)xdP (page number not for citation purposes)
&_V
d Results
>3,t`Z: Characteristics of the two survey populations have been
_d J"2rx previously compared [14] and showed that age and sex
A4|L;z/A[h distributions were similar. Table 1 compares participant
m})EYs1 characteristics between the two cross-sections. Cross-section
an<loLW II participants generally had higher rates of diabetes,
}Q<cE$c hypertension, myopia and more users of inhaled steroids.
?T (
@<