Epidemiology of Cataract

Worldwide

• Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worlwide
• in 1998, an estimated 20 million people were blind due to cataract
• globally, at least 100 million eyes have visual acuity <6/60>
• annually, at least 25 million eyes develop visual acuity <6/60>

Australia

• the blue mountain study 1997
  
  • 3654 people
    
  • age ranges from 49 to 93 years
    
  • moderate or advanced nuclear opacities were present in 53.3% of women and 49.7% of men
    
  • moderate cortical cataract was present in 25.9% of women and 21.1% of men
  • posterior subcapsular cataract was present in 6.2% of women and 6.5% of men
    

Malaysia

• Diabetes
  
  • 2006 – 10.3% of Malaysian population
    
  • Orang asli 0.3%
    
• National Eye survey 1996
  
  • 18,027 people
  • age ranges from 1 month to 96 years
    
  • mean age 26 years old
    
  • Cataract is the leading cause of blindness, with 39% of blindness and 36% of low vision were due to cataract
    
  • Prevalence of cataract in Malaysia 2.58%
    
    • Women 2.69%
      
    • Men 2.46%
      
  • An exponential increase of cataract after 40 years of age
    
  • The age group with the highest prevalence of cataract was the 70 years and above age group with a prevalence of 54.55%.
    
  • Based on races
    
    • Indian 3.63%
      
    • Other indigenous group 2.79%
      
    • Chinese 2.69%
      
    • Malay 2.29%
      
  • Urban areas had lower prevalence (2.48%) compared to rural areas (2.66%)
    
  • States
    
    • Melaka 5.31%
      
    • Kuala Lumpur 3.37%
      
    • Sabah 3.32%
      

Reference:

1. http://books.google.com/books?id=S28jeel2VfUC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=incidence+of+diabetes+in+orang+asli&source=bl&ots=HUqB4iP6P_&sig=tqQKDIf4I8g-W8k-L_ptBDeU8xI&hl=en&ei=JEifStbsKpbU7AOe6OjrCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false
   
2. http://www.moh.gov.my/opencms/export/sites/default/moh/download/BI_edisi4pg_2.pdf
   
3. http://www.uniteforsight.org/eye_stats.php
4. http://www.acrm.org.my/ned/documents/NationalEyeSurvey_BJO2002.pdf
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9111249