A Population-based Study of Visual Impairment Among Pre-school Children in Beijing: The Beijing Study of Visual Impairment in Children

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• 作者：Qing Lu ; Yuanyuan Zheng ; Baochen Sun ; Tongtong Cui ; Nathan Congdon ; Ailian Hu ; Jianhua Chen ; Jiliang Shi
• 刊名：American Journal of Ophthalmology
• 出版年：2009
• 出版时间：June 2009
• 年：2009
• 卷：147
• 期：6
• 页码：1075-1081
• 全文大小：279 K

文摘

Purpose

To evaluate the prevalence and causes of visual impairment among Chinese children aged 3 to 6 years in Beijing.

Design

Population-based prevalence survey.

Methods

Presenting and pinhole visual acuity were tested using picture optotypes or, in children with pinhole vision < 6/18, a Snellen tumbling E chart. Comprehensive eye examinations and cycloplegic refraction were carried out for children with pinhole vision < 6/18 in the better-seeing eye.

Results

All examinations were completed on 17,699 children aged 3 to 6 years (95.3 % of sample). Subjects with bilateral correctable low vision (presenting vision < 6/18 correctable to ≥ 6/18) numbered 57 (0.322 % ; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.237 % to 0.403 % ), while 14 (0.079 % ; 95 % CI, 0.038 % to 0.120 % ) had bilateral uncorrectable low vision (best-corrected vision of < 6/18 and ≥ 3/60), and 5 subjects (0.028 % ; 95 % CI, 0.004 % to 0.054 % ) were bilaterally blind (best-corrected acuity < 3/60). The etiology of 76 cases of visual impairment included: refractive error in 57 children (75 % ), hereditary factors (microphthalmos, congenital cataract, congenital motor nystagmus, albinism, and optic nerve disease) in 13 children (17.1 % ), amblyopia in 3 children (3.95 % ), and cortical blindness in 1 child (1.3 % ). The cause of visual impairment could not be established in 2 (2.63 % ) children. The prevalence of visual impairment did not differ by gender, but correctable low vision was significantly (P < .0001) more common among urban as compared with rural children.

Conclusion

The leading causes of visual impairment among Chinese preschool-aged children are refractive error and hereditary eye diseases. A higher prevalence of refractive error is already present among urban as compared with rural children in this preschool population.