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RESEARCH AND PRACTICE |
Steven L. Mansberger, Beth Edmunds, Chris A. Johnson, and George A. Cioffi are with the Devers Eye Institute/Discoveries in Sight at Legacy Health System, Portland, Ore. Francine C. Romero is with the Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center in Aberdeen, SD. Steven L. Mansberger, Nicole H. Smith, Dongseok Choi, and Thomas M. Becker are with the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Ore.
Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Steven L. Mansberger, MD, MPH, Devers Eye Institute/Discoveries in Sight, 1040 NW 22nd Ave, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97210 (e-mail: smansberger{at}discoveriesinsight.org).
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ABSTRACT |
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 TOP ABSTRACT INTRODUCTIONMETHODSRESULTSDISCUSSIONReferences |
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Objectives. Little information exists regarding the causes of visual impairment and the most common eye problems in American Indians/Alaska Natives.
Methods. We randomly sampled American Indians/Alaska Natives older than 40 years from 3 tribes within the Northwest region.
Results. We found a higher prevalence of visual impairment and normal-tension glaucoma, as well as a lower prevalence of ocular hypertension, in American Indians/Alaska Natives compared with previous results in other racial/ethnic groups.
Conclusions. American Indians/Alaska Natives have a need for vision correction. Future interventions in American Indians/Alaska Natives should include providing spectacles for refractive error, detecting glaucoma, and preventing visual impairment from age-related maculopathy and cataracts.
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INTRODUCTION |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMETHODSRESULTSDISCUSSIONReferences |
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Similar information regarding American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) populations does not exist. Most studies of AIAN populations have been chart reviews or convenience sample studies.6–8 These types of study designs do not reliably estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness because the selection criteria do not include randomization for all eligible participants of the population. Our purpose is to outline the common causes of visual impairment and the most common eye problems in a random sample of Northwest American Indians/Alaska Natives.
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METHODS |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMETHODSRESULTSDISCUSSIONReferences |
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Each selected individual was invited to participate by phone and by mail. A tribal coordinator, a volunteer, or an ophthalmic technician interviewed and performed a baseline examination of all individuals. The interview determined AIAN heritage, ocular and medical history, family history, risk factors for eye disease with a modified Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey,9 and the effect of eye disease on quality of life with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25).10
Baseline Examination
The baseline examination included height; weight; blood pressure (taken after the participant had been sitting still for 5 minutes)11; automated refraction; keratometry; presenting and best-corrected near vision; Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study distance visual acuity on presentation and with best correction; intraocular pressure with Tono-Pen XL (Medtronic Solan, Jacksonville, Fla); random fingerstick blood glucose level and glycosylated hemoglobin; anterior chamber assessment by limbal chamber depth12,13; visual field testing with frequency-doubling technology (FDT) perimetry, program C-20-5; confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy; and nonmydriatic digital imaging of the lens, optic disc, and fundus.
Ophthalmologic Follow-Up Examination
The baseline examination contained several criteria for referral to a follow-up examination to allow the highest sensitivity (Table 1
).12–15 An ophthalmologist performed this follow-up examination in all participants with abnormal findings and a subset of participants with normal findings to determine the accuracy of the baseline examination. The "normal" patients were selected with a random-number generator. The ophthalmologist used a data entry sheet separate from that used in the baseline examination to mask the results from the baseline examination and to reduce workup bias and review bias. The follow-up examination included biomicroscopy of the anterior segment, gonioscopy, Lens Opacity Classification System III grading of the lens,16 standard automated achromatic perimetry (24-2 Swedish interactive threshold algorithm standard, Humphrey Field Analyzer II, Carl Zeiss Meditech, Dublin, Calif), dilated fundus evaluation, and photographs of the optic disc and macula.
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summarizes the case definitions for the eye diseases.17–23 The ophthalmologist determined the primary cause of the decreased visual acuity. When multiple abnormalities were present, the ophthalmologist ranked the diseases most likely to cause decreased visual acuity. A separate ophthalmologist independently confirmed any abnormality found during the follow-up examination by reviewing the patient history, testing results, and photographs of the optic disc and macula.
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Statistical Analysis
We compared the sample population demographic data with the demographic data contained within each tribe’s tribal enrollment database.
Our analysis required statistical weighting to accurately determine the prevalence of eye diseases, because not all persons with a normal baseline examination result were selected for the follow-up examination and not all persons with an abnormal baseline examination result completed a follow-up examination. The weighting was determined by dividing the total number of normal baseline examination results by the number of participants with normal baseline results who completed the follow-up examination (88/12 = 7.333) and by dividing the total number of abnormal baseline results by the number of participants with abnormal results who completed the follow-up examination (199/157 = 1.267). One participant had a home examination without a baseline examination; the result was not weighted.
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RESULTS |
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Demographic Characteristics
Table 3 lists the baseline characteristics of the participants.24 We found no age or gender differences between participants and those whom we were unable to contact (P>.05).
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Eye Problems in AIAN Populations
Table 4 lists the prevalence of visual impairment, blindness, retinal diseases, cataract, glaucoma, and other eye problems. Under-corrected refractive error was the most common cause of poor visual acuity for both distance vision and near vision. From spectacle correction alone, 18% would gain an improvement from 20/40 or worse to 20/30 or better in their distance vision. Blindness (best-corrected visual acuity 20/200 or worse in the better eye) was found in 1 of 288 participants (0.3%). Visual impairment (best-corrected visual acuity 20/40 or worse in the better eye) was found in 9 of 288 participants (3.1%).
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Ocular hypertension was uncommon. Open-angle glaucoma was common, and all participants with glaucoma had "low-tension glaucoma," defined as an intraocular pressure less than 22 mm Hg. No cases of primary angle-closure suspect, primary angle closure, primary angle-closure glaucoma, or pseudo-exfoliation were found. Other common conditions included age-related maculopathy (16.9%), cataract (12.2%), and diabetic retinopathy (6.0% overall). No participants had clinically significant macular edema from diabetic retinopathy.
Causes of Poor Vision (20/40 or Worse) in Either Eye
Eighteen (6%) right eyes and 20 (7%) left eyes had best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse. One person with visual acuity worse than 20/40 in both eyes refused a full eye examination, and 2 other persons with visual acuity worse than 20/40 in the left eye refused a full eye examination. The ophthalmologist determined that cataract (n = 7), age-related maculopathy (n = 3), other retinal diseases (n = 6), and glaucoma (n = 1) were the primary causes of poor vision in the right eye. Other retinal diseases included branch retinal vein occlusion, central retinal vein occlusion, macular scar, multifocal choroiditis, cystoid macular degeneration, and chronic retinal detachment, each occurring in 1 right eye. The ophthalmologist determined that the primary causes of poor visual acuity in the left eye were cataract (n = 6), diabetic retinopathy (n = 3), amblyopia (n = 2), age-related maculopathy (n = 1), other retinal diseases (n = 3), and unknown (n = 2). Other retinal diseases included multifocal choroiditis (n = 1) and macular scar secondary to trauma (n = 2). Retinal diseases were the primary cause of poor vision (best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse) in the right eye for 9 of 17 (53%) participants and in the left eye for 6 of 17 (35%) participants.
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DISCUSSION |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMETHODSRESULTSDISCUSSIONReferences |
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Visual Impairment
In Northwest AIAN populations, cataract and age-related maculopathy were the most common causes of visual impairment, with a prevalence similar to that found among the White participants in the Baltimore Eye Study2 and the mostly Hispanic participants in Proyecto VER.3 The prevalence of visual impairment among American Indians/Alaska Natives in our study (3.1%) was similar to that among Latinos in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (3.0%)5 but higher than that among the mostly White participants in the Beaver Dam Eye Study (0.8%).26 We realize that comparisons with these other prevalence studies present problems. Our study had a small sample size, which resulted in large confidence intervals for our estimates and prevented us from making age–strata comparisons. We recruited only 32% of those people that we randomly selected. Our methods of recruitment may have missed potential participants of lower socioeconomic status because such persons are less likely to have a permanent address or phone number. To decrease this potential bias, future studies should include door-to-door recruitment of eligible participants. Door-to-door recruitment will also allow better ascertainment of ineligible candidates who have moved away or who have otherwise become unavailable. We were unable to measure socioeconomic status in persons who did not participate; however, our results suggest consistency in age and gender of these individuals with the overall AIAN population.
Glaucoma and Ocular Hypertension
One of our intriguing findings was that all patients with glaucoma had intraocular pressure less than 22 mm Hg, otherwise known as low-tension glaucoma.27 Previous studies have shown that low-tension glaucoma may account for up to 69% of all glaucoma in patients with glaucoma.27 In our results, the proportion was even higher (100%). Only 1 study, a recent investigation with Japanese participants, had a similar proportion of low-tension glaucoma (92%).28 We also found a low prevalence of ocular hypertension (0.004%), which is present in approximately 5% of individuals older than 40 years in the US population.29 The Los Angeles Latino Eye Study found ocular hypertension in 3.6% of Latinos.30 The high prevalence of low-tension glaucoma and the low prevalence of ocular hypertension found in our study indicate a need for further analysis in AIAN populations of ocular factors (corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, optic disc characteristics) and risk factors for glaucoma (systemic hypertension, diabetes).
Other Vision Studies in AIAN Populations
The results of our study show similarities with and differences from the results of other vision studies in AIAN populations, which have mostly consisted of chart reviews or convenience samples at a local village. In particular, angle-closure glaucoma was not found in our study but has been found to be a common cause of blindness in Alaskan Eskimos by previous studies.7,8 Diabetic retinopathy was a common eye condition in our study but not a common cause of visual impairment, a finding that contrasts with studies in Navajos and Pima Indians.6,31,32 We found no cases of psuedoexfoliation, a risk factor for open-angle glaucoma, a finding contrary to results among Navajo Indians, among whom 38% of persons 60 years and older had psuedoexfoliation.33 However, our results are similar to those of other studies of AIAN populations that showed cataracts to be a common cause of visual impairment.32 To our knowledge, age-related maculopathy has not been shown to be a common cause of visual impairment in AIAN populations. Overall, these findings suggest heterogeneity in AIAN populations that is probably related to variations in genetics, environment, diet, and other factors.
Refractive Error
We found a great need for eyeglasses in the study population. Eighteen percent of participants had distance vision worse than 20/40, and approximately 30% had near vision worse than Jaeger 4 (20/40 for near vision) owing to undercorrected refractive error. The need for eyeglasses for distance vision (18%) was more common than that found by the Baltimore Eye Study (Blacks, 6.5%; Whites, 7.8%).1 This finding could be related to underuse of eye care providers or the known high prevalence of astigmatism in AIAN populations.34–37 Poor vision from refractive error restricts otherwise healthy individuals from succeeding in educational endeavors and employment opportunities, propagating low educational attainment and poverty; it limits social interaction that requires good distance vision and artisan work that requires good near vision, work such as beadwork and jewelry making. Future interventions addressing vision should include the provision of spectacles for refractive error.
Diabetes and High Blood Pressure
We found a high prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes among our study population. Similarly, high blood pressure (defined as systolic blood pressure >135 mm Hg or diastolic pressure > 85 mm Hg) was common. Our finding of a high prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension should be viewed with caution, because a high proportion of cases may have been "white coat" hypertension, caused by anxiety experienced while answering a questionnaire and undergoing multiple tests. Follow-up and further analysis of participants with undiagnosed hypertension is warranted.
Conclusions
Our pilot study showed a higher prevalence of visual impairment and low-tension glaucoma among American Indians/Alaska Natives compared with among other racial and ethnic groups. American Indians/Alaska Natives have an unmet need for vision correction. Interventions for vision among American Indians/Alaska Natives may include provision of spectacles for refractive error, detection of glaucoma, and prevention of visual impairment from cataracts and age-related maculopathy. Future studies will require larger sample sizes to increase the accuracy of prevalence estimates in AIAN populations.
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Acknowledgments |
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This study was presented in part at the 14th Annual Meeting of the American Glaucoma Society, Sarasota, Fla, March 4–7, 2004.
We thank Shaban Demirel, Peter Francis, Cindy Blachly, Judy Thompson, Kathryn Sherman, Douglas Romero, and Karin Novitsky for assistance with data collection.
Human Participant Protection
The institutional review boards of the Portland Area Indian Health Service and Legacy Health System approved this pilot study. The leadership committees of the participating tribes signed tribal resolutions allowing us to perform the study. All identifying information was kept confidential. The participants signed a consent form.
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Footnotes |
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Note. Chris A. Johnson is a consultant for Welch Allyn and receives research support from Welch Allyn and Carl Zeiss Meditec, commercial representatives for the frequency-doubling technology perimeter.
Contributors
S. L. Mansberger helped to design the study, obtain funding, collect data, analyze and interpret results, and write the article. F. C. Romero helped to design the study, obtain funding, collect data, and critically review the article. N. Smith helped to analyze the results and collect data. C. Johnson helped to design the study, obtain funding, and critically review the article. G. A. Cioffi helped to obtain funding and critically review the article. B. Edmunds helped to design the study and collect data. D. Choi helped with data analysis and interpretation. T. Becker helped to obtain funding and design the study.
Accepted for publication December 30, 2004.
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References |
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TOPABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMETHODSRESULTSDISCUSSIONReferences |
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| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
