BioMed Central
yJyovfJz. Page 1 of 7
2 %`~DVo (page number not for citation purposes)
5uo?
KSX% BMC Ophthalmology
MKl`9 Y3Ge Research article Open Access
$oPx2sb Comparison of age-specific cataract prevalence in two
[
9hslk population-based surveys 6 years apart
~2HlAU))<& Ava Grace Tan†, Jie Jin Wang*†, Elena Rochtchina† and Paul Mitchell†
( o(, ; Address: Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital,
d*}dM" Westmead, NSW, Australia
5c8tH= Email: Ava Grace Tan -
ava_tan@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Jie Jin Wang* -
jiejin_wang@wmi.usyd.edu.au;
-VC
kk Elena Rochtchina -
elena_rochtchina@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Paul Mitchell -
paul_mitchell@wmi.usyd.edu.au ~!t# M2Sk * Corresponding author †Equal contributors
?j'Nx_RoX Abstract
-@I+IKz Background: In this study, we aimed to compare age-specific cortical, nuclear and posterior
7I#<w[l>k subcapsular (PSC) cataract prevalence in two surveys 6 years apart.
e$vvm bK. Methods: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3654 participants (82.4% of those eligible) in
?KB+2]7m6 cross-section I (1992–4) and 3509 participants (75.1% of survivors and 85.2% of newly eligible) in
oJ:\8>)9 cross-section II (1997–2000, 66.5% overlap with cross-section I). Cataract was assessed from lens
zUQn*Cio e photographs following the Wisconsin Cataract Grading System. Cortical cataract was defined if
=ws iC' cortical opacity comprised ≥ 5% of lens area. Nuclear cataract was defined if nuclear opacity ≥
e>6
NO Wisconsin standard 4. PSC was defined if any present. Any cataract was defined to include persons
/QgU!:e who had previous cataract surgery. Weighted kappa for inter-grader reliability was 0.82, 0.55 and
l KdY!j" 0.82 for cortical, nuclear and PSC cataract, respectively. We assessed age-specific prevalence using
U8>M`e"D an interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age group were independent between the
r;7&U<j~Z two surveys.
;YfKG8(0 Results: Age and gender distributions were similar between the two populations. The age-specific
(m~gG|n4 prevalence of cortical (23.8% in 1st, 23.7% in 2nd) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 6.0%) was similar. The
Gg,&~
jHib prevalence of nuclear cataract increased slightly from 18.7% to 23.9%. After age standardization,
qr<+@Q the similar prevalence of cortical (23.8%, 23.5%) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 5.9%), and the increased
((AsZ$[S prevalence of nuclear cataract (18.7%, 24.2%) remained.
C/JFb zVx Conclusion: In two surveys of two population-based samples with similar age and gender
^*$lCUv8p distributions, we found a relatively stable cortical and PSC cataract prevalence over a 6-year period.
I'%\
E, The increased prevalence of nuclear cataract deserves further study.
eoGGWW@[ Background
{0~xv@ U Age-related cataract is the leading cause of reversible visual
(rT1wup impairment in older persons [1-6]. In Australia, it is
+lNAog estimated that by the year 2021, the number of people
U4.-{. affected by cataract will increase by 63%, due to population
+\ZaVi aging [7]. Surgical intervention is an effective treatment
Z37%jdr for cataract and normal vision (> 20/40) can usually
g,O3\jjQ be restored with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.
y88lkV4a Cataract surgery with IOL implantation is currently the
\Um & most commonly performed, and is, arguably, the most
3;F+.{Icc cost effective surgical procedure worldwide. Performance
BXxl-x Published: 20 April 2006
$j"TPkW{M BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17 doi:10.1186/1471-2415-6-17
OBp&64 Received: 14 December 2005
V.?Oly Accepted: 20 April 2006
mW 4{*
This article is available from:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 2+'4 m#@) © 2006 Tan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
VUbg{Rb) This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0),
=K`]$Og}8 which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
[7+dZL[ BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 h;RKF\U:" Page 2 of 7
VYAz0H1-_ (page number not for citation purposes)
^1jZwP;5eW of this surgical procedure has been continuously increasing
s4kkzTnXE3 in the last two decades. Data from the Australian
t$k$Hd'; Health Insurance Commission has shown a steady
=.9uuF: increase in Medicare claims for cataract surgery [8]. A 2.6-
d~za%2{ fold increase in the total number of cataract procedures
enw7?| ( from 1985 to 1994 has been documented in Australia [9].
Z^l!#"\4m The rate of cataract surgery per thousand persons aged 65
cd-;?/ years or older has doubled in the last 20 years [8,9]. In the
&LM ^,xx} Blue Mountains Eye Study population, we observed a onethird
m!H7;S-( increase in cataract surgery prevalence over a mean
+1(L5Do} 6-year interval, from 6% to nearly 8% in two cross-sectional
k,M%"FLQ population-based samples with a similar age range
q#|,4(Z [10]. Further increases in cataract surgery performance
n>##,o|Vr# would be expected as a result of improved surgical skills
cpe/GvD5] and technique, together with extending cataract surgical
u''~nSR3& benefits to a greater number of older people and an
50VH>b_ increased number of persons with surgery performed on
tiHP?N U both eyes.
Ua](o H Both the prevalence and incidence of age-related cataract
C?h`i ^ >2 link directly to the demand for, and the outcome of, cataract
s"g"wh', surgery and eye health care provision. This report
#5a'Z+ aimed to assess temporal changes in the prevalence of cortical
" +n\0j; and nuclear cataract and posterior subcapsular cataract
Eg;xj@S<2 (PSC) in two cross-sectional population-based
[bIR$c[G surveys 6 years apart.
{%cm;o[7o Methods
, U?W The Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) is a populationbased
wg0hm#X cohort study of common eye diseases and other
r|!r!V8j health outcomes. The study involved eligible permanent
LnY`f -H residents aged 49 years and older, living in two postcode
Mq[|w2. areas in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia.
`*to(
) Participants were identified through a census and were
YLO/J2[' invited to participate. The study was approved at each
~3F\7%Iqc stage of the data collection by the Human Ethics Committees
}?vVJm' of the University of Sydney and the Western Sydney
v@KP~kp Area Health Service and adhered to the recommendations
( 8}'JvSu of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent
-'jPue2\ was obtained from each participant.
w6w'Jx Details of the methods used in this study have been
{95u^S= described previously [11]. The baseline examinations
+&:?*(?Q (BMES cross-section I) were conducted during 1992–
.xIu 1994 and included 3654 (82.4%) of 4433 eligible residents.
fvUD'
sx Follow-up examinations (BMES IIA) were conducted
Edi`x5"l during 1997–1999, with 2335 (75.0% of BMES
m=7Z8@sX}, cross section I survivors) participating. A repeat census of
7:>VH>?D the same area was performed in 1999 and identified 1378
EDkxRfY2/ newly eligible residents who moved into the area or the
'z}Hg
* eligible age group. During 1999–2000, 1174 (85.2%) of
\h&ui]V this group participated in an extension study (BMES IIB).
:?}U Z# BMES cross-section II thus includes BMES IIA (66.5%)
W18I"lHeh and BMES IIB (33.5%) participants (n = 3509).
ZX
Sl+k. Similar procedures were used for all stages of data collection
4\6-sL?rW at both surveys. A questionnaire was administered
xn)eb#r including demographic, family and medical history. A
~il{6Z+#n detailed eye examination included subjective refraction,
ydyGPZt slit-lamp (Topcon SL-7e camera, Topcon Optical Co,
C<?Huw4R0 Tokyo, Japan) and retroillumination (Neitz CT-R camera,
s.)nS$ Neitz Instrument Co, Tokyo, Japan) photography of the
{#c**' 4 lens. Grading of lens photographs in the BMES has been
R1%2]? previously described [12]. Briefly, masked grading was
/
hl:p performed on the lens photographs using the Wisconsin
p`i_s(u Cataract Grading System [13]. Cortical cataract and PSC
g+-=/Ge were assessed from the retroillumination photographs by
rkW2_UTZE estimating the percentage of the circular grid involved.
/W6r{Et Cortical cataract was defined when cortical opacity
F9|\(St & involved at least 5% of the total lens area. PSC was defined
E|aPkq]
when opacity comprised at least 1% of the total lens area.
A?q9(n|A" Slit-lamp photographs were used to assess nuclear cataract
tv+H4/ using the Wisconsin standard set of four lens photographs
"1U:qr2-H [13]. Nuclear cataract was defined when nuclear opacity
zgdOugmmt_ was at least as great as the standard 4 photograph. Any cataract
"F*'UfOwrZ was defined to include persons who had previous
#jja#PF]7 cataract surgery as well as those with any of three cataract
![v@+9 types. Inter-grader reliability was high, with weighted
G(puC4 "& kappa 0.82 for cortical cataract, 0.55 (simple kappa 0.75)
c==` r
C for nuclear cataract and 0.82 for PSC grading. The intragrader
gGiLw5o, reliability for nuclear cataract was assessed with
|Ki\Q3O1 simple kappa 0.83 for the senior grader who graded
zai x_mR nuclear cataract at both surveys. All PSC cases were confirmed
Z]I[?$y by an ophthalmologist (PM).
#NAlje( 7 In cross-section I, 219 persons (6.0%) had missing or
4I>I ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3435 with photographs
(L)tC*Qjc
available for cortical cataract and PSC assessment,
Daa2.* while 1153 (31.6%) had randomly missing or ungradable
y<G@7? Topcon photographs due to a camera malfunction, leaving
Om%9 x 2501 with photographs available for nuclear cataract
{I!sXj assessment. Comparison of characteristics between participants
bBQ1~ R with and without Neitz or Topcon photographs in
{-sy,EYcw cross-section I showed no statistically significant differences
k-LB %\p between the two groups, as reported previously
GRanR'xG [12]. In cross-section II, 441 persons (12.5%) had missing
`hD\u@5Tw or ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3068 for cortical
JNzNK.E!m- cataract and PSC assessment, and 648 (18.5%) had
fz`+j
-u missing or ungradable Topcon photographs, leaving 2860
d1c_F~h< for nuclear cataract assessment.
xud Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Analysis
$vS`w4Y System (SAS, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Age-adjusted
0Ts[IHpg&E prevalence was calculated using direct standardization of
XD5z+/F<"0 the cross-section II population to the cross-section I population.
V`KXfY We assessed age-specific prevalence using an
,zy4+GW interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age
;as4EqiK group were independent between the two cross-sectional
Kq|L:Z
surveys.
q%=`PCty BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 /@5X0m Page 3 of 7
A f@IsCOJ (page number not for citation purposes)
EPCu Results
u4L&8@ Characteristics of the two survey populations have been
Vcg$H8m previously compared [14] and showed that age and sex
!2WRxM distributions were similar. Table 1 compares participant
O2E6F^.pYw characteristics between the two cross-sections. Cross-section
(5%OAjW II participants generally had higher rates of diabetes,
BzL>,um hypertension, myopia and more users of inhaled steroids.
lHwQ'/r Cataract prevalence rates in cross-sections I and II are
e2Sudd=' G shown in Figure 1. The overall prevalence of cortical cataract
H4 }^6><V was 23.8% and 23.7% in cross-sections I and II,
B*A{@)_ respectively (age-sex adjusted P = 0.81). Corresponding
sm-RpZ&| prevalence of PSC was 6.3% and 6.0% for the two crosssections
0nS69tH (age-sex adjusted P = 0.60). There was an
RYDV60*O6 increased prevalence of nuclear cataract, from 18.7% in
=$UDa`}D cross-section I to 23.9% in cross-section II over the 6-year
-Cwx % period (age-sex adjusted P < 0.001). Prevalence of any cataract
'{j.5~4y (including persons who had cataract surgery), however,
yZbO{PMr was relatively stable (46.9% and 46.8% in crosssections
+Sk ; I and II, respectively).
g4<w6eB After age-standardization, these prevalence rates remained
2E^zQ>;01 stable for cortical cataract (23.8% and 23.5% in the two
`#hdb=3 surveys) and PSC (6.3% and 5.9%). The slightly increased
*upl*zFf0 prevalence of nuclear cataract (from 18.7% to 24.2%) was
T_O\L[]p* not altered.
|?0Cm|? Table 2 shows the age-specific prevalence rates for cortical
5_b`QO cataract, PSC and nuclear cataract in cross-sections I and
}!b9L] II. A similar trend of increasing cataract prevalence with
;JMd(\+- increasing age was evident for all three types of cataract in
`/JJ\`Pu both surveys. Comparing the age-specific prevalence
nmp(%;<exN between the two surveys, a reduction in PSC prevalence in
L)JpMf0 cross-section II was observed in the older age groups (≥ 75
gT*0WgB years). In contrast, increased nuclear cataract prevalence
Me[T=Tt`@w in cross-section II was observed in the older age groups (≥
DYJ@>8 70 years). Age-specific cortical cataract prevalence was relatively
7Xm7{`jH consistent between the two surveys, except for a
S P)$K= reduction in prevalence observed in the 80–84 age group
_H(m
4~M and an increasing prevalence in the older age groups (≥ 85
nC^?6il
years).
_, /m Similar gender differences in cataract prevalence were
R| t"(6 observed in both surveys (Table 3). Higher prevalence of
O`U&0lKi' cortical and nuclear cataract in women than men was evident
Mh>H
5l.1i but the difference was only significant for cortical
AxLnF(eG cataract (age-adjusted odds ratio, OR, for women 1.3,
(Y\aV+9[ 95% confidence intervals, CI, 1.1–1.5 in cross-section I
:)X?ML? and OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.6 in cross-section II). In con-
LF?83P,UJ# Table 1: Participant characteristics.
qlmz@kTb Characteristics Cross-section I Cross-section II
Urur/_]-% n % n %
x; 89lHy@e Age (mean) (66.2) (66.7)
NJSzOL_ 50–54 485 13.3 350 10.0
\^vf`-uG 55–59 534 14.6 580 16.5
JS% &ipm 60–64 638 17.5 600 17.1
C#[YDcp4 65–69 671 18.4 639 18.2
fg"@qE-; 70–74 538 14.7 572 16.3
V*xT5TljS- 75–79 422 11.6 407 11.6
0{g @j{Lbz 80–84 230 6.3 226 6.4
f~-81ctu 85–89 100 2.7 110 3.1
~>zml1aJ6 90+ 36 1.0 24 0.7
2f ]CnD0$ Female 2072 56.7 1998 57.0
Z{RRhJ Ever Smokers 1784 51.2 1789 51.2
xcr=AhqM Use of inhaled steroids 370 10.94 478 13.8^
jC>l<d_
History of:
a(&!{Y1bt Diabetes 284 7.8 347 9.9^
pe=Ou0 Hypertension 1669 46.0 1825 52.2^
evryk,x Emmetropia* 1558 42.9 1478 42.2
6z@OGExmd# Myopia* 442 12.2 495 14.1^
4a]m=]Hm Hyperopia* 1633 45.0 1532 43.7
w
V&{w7 n = number of persons affected
J&%vBg^ * best spherical equivalent refraction correction
-=,%9r ^ P < 0.01
t]LCe\# BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 z:<mgp&/< Page 4 of 7
}LQ*vD-Jj (page number not for citation purposes)
e:}8|e~T t
6He 7A@Eh rast, men had slightly higher PSC prevalence than women
:"? boA#L in both cross-sections but the difference was not significant
%:^,7
.H@ (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.8–1.4 for men in cross-section I
|VMc,_D and OR 1.2, 95% 0.9–1.6 in cross-section II).
M"[s5=:Lo Discussion
B;tU+36nM Findings from two surveys of BMES cross-sectional populations
j eF1{ % with similar age and gender distribution showed
X.<_TBos| that the prevalence of cortical cataract and PSC remained
}T%;G /W stable, while the prevalence of nuclear cataract appeared
o~!4& to have increased. Comparison of age-specific prevalence,
Pm;
/Ua with totally independent samples within each age group,
cC
w,b] confirmed the robustness of our findings from the two
F4X/ )$Dk survey samples. Although lens photographs taken from
3n9$qr=' the two surveys were graded for nuclear cataract by the
NhQIpzL) same graders, who documented a high inter- and intragrader
mLX1w)=r reliability, we cannot exclude the possibility that
G3&ES3L variations in photography, performed by different photographers,
+:1ay
^YI may have contributed to the observed difference
\W;~[-"# in nuclear cataract prevalence. However, the overall
ElAJR4'{*i Table 2: Age-specific prevalence of cataract types in cross sections I and II.
_i~n!
v Cataract type Age (years) Cross-section I Cross-section II
.E!7}O6 n % (95% CL)* n % (95% CL)*
P$_Y:XI ! Cortical 50–54 473 4.4 (2.6–6.3) 338 7.4 (4.6–10.2)
FW&P`Iu 55–59 522 9.2 (6.7–11.7) 542 9.0 (6.6–11.5)
VHVU*6_w 60–64 615 16.4 (13.5–19.4) 556 16.7 (13.6–19.8)
f|Kd{ $VO 65–69 653 26.2 (22.8–29.6) 581 23.6 (20.1–27.0)
Taxi79cH 70–74 516 31.2 (27.2–35.2) 514 35.4 (31.3–39.6)
Ou/@!Y1 75–79 366 40.2 (35.1–45.2) 332 39.8 (34.5–45.1)
ZmO/6_nU? 80–84 194 58.8 (51.8–65.8) 163 42.9 (35.3–50.6)
D2|-\vJ> 85–89 74 52.7 (41.1–64.4) 73 54.8 (43.1–66.5)
/tA
$'tZ 90+ 22 68.2 (47.0–89.3) 14 78.6 (54.0–103.2)
h*)spwF- PSC 50–54 474 2.7 (1.3–4.2) 338 2.4 (0.7–4.0)
Mo
&Ia6^ 55–59 522 2.9 (1.4–4.3) 541 2.6 (1.3–3.9)
TveCy & 60–64 616 4.6 (2.9–6.2) 548 5.7 (3.7–7.6)
K @"m0 65–69 655 6.3 (4.4–8.1) 573 4.5 (2.8–6.3)
Cca(
oV 70–74 517 6.8 (4.6–8.9) 505 9.7 (7.1–12.3)
I%%\;Dy 75–79 367 11.4 (8.2–14.7) 327 9.5 (6.3–12.7)
: QSlctW 80–84 196 12.2 (7.6–16.9) 155 10.3 (5.5–15.2)
rS/Q 85–89 74 18.9 (9.8–28.1) 69 11.6 (3.9–19.4)
4nkH0dJQ 90+ 23 21.7 (3.5–40.0) 11 0.0
^mFuZ~g;? Nuclear 50–54 323 1.6 (0.2–2.9) 331 0.9 (–0.2–1.9)
)vOZp& 55–59 386 2.3 (0.8–3.8) 507 3.6 (1.9–5.2)
jD0^,aiG 60–64 453 5.3 (3.2–7.4) 501 11.6 (8.8–14.4)
al=
Dy60|z 65–69 478 17.2 (13.8–20.1) 534 18.5 (15.2–21.9)
nXK"B Ye 70–74 392 27.6 (23.1–32.0) 453 36.0 (31.6–40.4)
&