ABSTRACT /;X+<Wj
Purpose: To quantify the prevalence of cataract, the outcomes NiSyb yR$
of cataract surgery and the factors related to tqFE>ojlI
unoperated cataract in Australia. l!*!)qCB(S
Methods: Participants were recruited from the Visual q/h, jM
Impairment Project: a cluster, stratified sample of more than oHPh
2b0
5000 Victorians aged 40 years and over. At examination 7~qyz]KkE
sites interviews, clinical examinations and lens photography jmBsPSGIC
were performed. Cataract was defined in participants who LOEiV
had: had previous cataract surgery, cortical cataract greater Ln$= 8x^T
than 4/16, nuclear greater than Wilmer standard 2, or wBl
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posterior subcapsular greater than 1 mm2. @@z5v bs'{
Results: The participant group comprised 3271 Melbourne NX&Z=ObHu}
residents, 403 Melbourne nursing home residents and 1473 <{cf'"O7 )
rural residents.The weighted rate of any cataract in Victoria l+#uQo6cqQ
was 21.5%. The overall weighted rate of prior cataract ^2`*1el
surgery was 3.79%. Two hundred and forty-nine eyes had 8\S$iGd
had prior cataract surgery. Of these 249 procedures, 49 @:/H)F^x
(20%) were aphakic, 6 (2.4%) had anterior chamber #G]g
intraocular lenses and 194 (78%) had posterior chamber or`D-x)+@
intraocular lenses.Two hundred and eleven of these operated >aAsUL5W
eyes (85%) had best-corrected visual acuity of 6/12 or bMB@${i}
better, the legal requirement for a driver’s license.Twentyseven `PtfPt<{
(11%) had visual acuity of less than 6/18 (moderate cS%;JV>C
vision impairment). Complications of cataract surgery xz-?sD/xe
caused reduced vision in four of the 27 eyes (15%), or 1.9% g!;a5p6
of operated eyes. Three of these four eyes had undergone /[I#3|
intracapsular cataract extraction and the fourth eye had an fp?/Dg"49.
opaque posterior capsule. No one had bilateral vision #'5{
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impairment as a result of cataract surgery. Surprisingly, no &3|l4R\
particular demographic factors (such as age, gender, rural J|u_45<
residence, occupation, employment status, health insurance Q"QZ^!zRl
status, ethnicity) were related to the presence of unoperated :{ Lihe~\
cataract. {Fvl7Sh
Conclusions: Although the overall prevalence of cataract is fwi
-
quite high, no particular subgroup is systematically underserviced $"g'C8
in terms of cataract surgery. Overall, the results of :pLaxWus!
cataract surgery are very good, with the majority of eyes C$d b)5-
achieving driving vision following cataract extraction. WJ/X`?k
Key words: cataract extraction, health planning, health [$@EQ]tt/
services accessibility, prevalence m U= 3w
INTRODUCTION N_E)f
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and, in '>GPk5Nq77
Australia, cataract extractions account for the majority of all QsBC[7<jd-
ophthalmic procedures.1 Over the period 1985–94, the rate 3F$N@K~s
of cataract surgery in Australia was twice as high as would be ^;[^L=}8$
expected from the growth in the elderly population.1 (gUVZeVFP
Although there have been a number of studies reporting M63t4; 0A
the prevalence of cataract in various populations,2–6 there is kBtzJ#j B
little information about determinants of cataract surgery in 4'y@ne}g!
the population. A previous survey of Australian ophthalmologists 7w}]9wCN?
showed that patient concern and lifestyle, rather A#gy[.Bb
than visual acuity itself, are the primary factors for referral !1#=j;N`
for cataract surgery.7 This supports prior research which has |=[._VH1
shown that visual acuity is not a strong predictor of need for 2LS91
cataract surgery.8,9 Elsewhere, socioeconomic status has e
3TKg
been shown to be related to cataract surgery rates.10 ,L; y>::1
To appropriately plan health care services, information is or(P?Ro
needed about the prevalence of age-related cataract in the VDlP,Mm*
community as well as the factors associated with cataract |`d-;pk!%
surgery. The purpose of this study is to quantify the prevalence \)cbg#v
of any cataract in Australia, to describe the factors @DKph!cr
related to unoperated cataract in the community and to F#z1 sl'
describe the visual outcomes of cataract surgery. [j?<&