BioMed Central
$H;+}VQ Page 1 of 7
pX_b6%yX( (page number not for citation purposes)
^mf jn-=3 BMC Ophthalmology
" '[hr$h3 Research article Open Access
J*K<FFp3< Comparison of age-specific cataract prevalence in two
R&Ci/ population-based surveys 6 years apart
j3 P$@< Ava Grace Tan†, Jie Jin Wang*†, Elena Rochtchina† and Paul Mitchell†
?bI?GvSh Address: Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital,
'\t7jQ Westmead, NSW, Australia
0Cq!\nzz Email: Ava Grace Tan -
ava_tan@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Jie Jin Wang* -
jiejin_wang@wmi.usyd.edu.au;
u]bz42] Elena Rochtchina -
elena_rochtchina@wmi.usyd.edu.au; Paul Mitchell -
paul_mitchell@wmi.usyd.edu.au ET+'Pj3 * Corresponding author †Equal contributors
RUX8qT(Z Abstract
?d5h9}B Background: In this study, we aimed to compare age-specific cortical, nuclear and posterior
O^NP0E subcapsular (PSC) cataract prevalence in two surveys 6 years apart.
\O? u* Methods: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3654 participants (82.4% of those eligible) in
+nQ!4 cross-section I (1992–4) and 3509 participants (75.1% of survivors and 85.2% of newly eligible) in
*8UYS A~v cross-section II (1997–2000, 66.5% overlap with cross-section I). Cataract was assessed from lens
(Fqa][0 photographs following the Wisconsin Cataract Grading System. Cortical cataract was defined if
S_5?U2
%D cortical opacity comprised ≥ 5% of lens area. Nuclear cataract was defined if nuclear opacity ≥
HfZtL Wisconsin standard 4. PSC was defined if any present. Any cataract was defined to include persons
i| 4_m who had previous cataract surgery. Weighted kappa for inter-grader reliability was 0.82, 0.55 and
gn.Ol/6D 0.82 for cortical, nuclear and PSC cataract, respectively. We assessed age-specific prevalence using
! TDD^ an interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age group were independent between the
pl\b- two surveys.
ev"M;"y Results: Age and gender distributions were similar between the two populations. The age-specific
1ktHN: ta prevalence of cortical (23.8% in 1st, 23.7% in 2nd) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 6.0%) was similar. The
Azn:_4O prevalence of nuclear cataract increased slightly from 18.7% to 23.9%. After age standardization,
,CKvTxz0 the similar prevalence of cortical (23.8%, 23.5%) and PSC cataract (6.3%, 5.9%), and the increased
B1+ZFQo prevalence of nuclear cataract (18.7%, 24.2%) remained.
^#w{/C/n Conclusion: In two surveys of two population-based samples with similar age and gender
HamEIL-l. distributions, we found a relatively stable cortical and PSC cataract prevalence over a 6-year period.
T.2ZBG~|[ The increased prevalence of nuclear cataract deserves further study.
!.X_/$c Background
9GPb$gtx Age-related cataract is the leading cause of reversible visual
"Z~`e]> impairment in older persons [1-6]. In Australia, it is
_.=`>%, estimated that by the year 2021, the number of people
Z(UD9wY5m affected by cataract will increase by 63%, due to population
8f-:d] aging [7]. Surgical intervention is an effective treatment
3Ta>Ki for cataract and normal vision (> 20/40) can usually
|z+9km7, be restored with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.
%YCd%lAe, Cataract surgery with IOL implantation is currently the
CO'ar, most commonly performed, and is, arguably, the most
gn`zy9PU cost effective surgical procedure worldwide. Performance
B@-"1m~la? Published: 20 April 2006
(H1lqlVWV# BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17 doi:10.1186/1471-2415-6-17
IXJ6PpQLv Received: 14 December 2005
5 H *> Accepted: 20 April 2006
@?d?e+B This article is available from:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2415/6/17 [ze/@29 © 2006 Tan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
cUs L6y This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0),
jE*Ff&]%m which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
1 KB7yG-#6 BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
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y7La_FPrl (page number not for citation purposes)
X(b1/lzA of this surgical procedure has been continuously increasing
5v3RVaqZ in the last two decades. Data from the Australian
6y9C@5p}B Health Insurance Commission has shown a steady
?rQc<;b increase in Medicare claims for cataract surgery [8]. A 2.6-
=%L@WVbM fold increase in the total number of cataract procedures
f)U6p from 1985 to 1994 has been documented in Australia [9].
itHM7d The rate of cataract surgery per thousand persons aged 65
#Z!#;%S years or older has doubled in the last 20 years [8,9]. In the
KqK9X Blue Mountains Eye Study population, we observed a onethird
hbH#Co~o4# increase in cataract surgery prevalence over a mean
sxk*$jO[] 6-year interval, from 6% to nearly 8% in two cross-sectional
*.3y2m,bZ population-based samples with a similar age range
vs\|rLa [10]. Further increases in cataract surgery performance
H@4/#V|Uy would be expected as a result of improved surgical skills
M=6G:HHY and technique, together with extending cataract surgical
N|$5/bV
benefits to a greater number of older people and an
8(^
,r#Gy increased number of persons with surgery performed on
I5Q~T5Ar both eyes.
j6}$+!E Both the prevalence and incidence of age-related cataract
8
#Fh> link directly to the demand for, and the outcome of, cataract
_6LH"o3 surgery and eye health care provision. This report
716hpj#* aimed to assess temporal changes in the prevalence of cortical
RJLFj and nuclear cataract and posterior subcapsular cataract
4M7^
[G (PSC) in two cross-sectional population-based
G\):2Qz!| surveys 6 years apart.
YLigP"*~^ Methods
ho_4f
Dv The Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) is a populationbased
.c03}RTC^ cohort study of common eye diseases and other
`;e^2 health outcomes. The study involved eligible permanent
LjCykk residents aged 49 years and older, living in two postcode
ff[C' areas in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia.
p8_2y~! Participants were identified through a census and were
@EYK(QS- invited to participate. The study was approved at each
_Po#ZGm~ stage of the data collection by the Human Ethics Committees
HI z9s4Y_ of the University of Sydney and the Western Sydney
v23TL Area Health Service and adhered to the recommendations
bYK]G+
Ww of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent
@
E >eq.m was obtained from each participant.
(%.</|u Details of the methods used in this study have been
[1mIdwS described previously [11]. The baseline examinations
<jg8y'm@0 (BMES cross-section I) were conducted during 1992–
|KTpK(6p 1994 and included 3654 (82.4%) of 4433 eligible residents.
2=Jmi?k Follow-up examinations (BMES IIA) were conducted
z(#=
tC| during 1997–1999, with 2335 (75.0% of BMES
q;KshpfRMD cross section I survivors) participating. A repeat census of
O-?z' @5cI the same area was performed in 1999 and identified 1378
'aNahz
b newly eligible residents who moved into the area or the
9*f2b.Aj eligible age group. During 1999–2000, 1174 (85.2%) of
C CLfvex this group participated in an extension study (BMES IIB).
7L1\1E:! BMES cross-section II thus includes BMES IIA (66.5%)
{7/ A and BMES IIB (33.5%) participants (n = 3509).
xcsFODx~ Similar procedures were used for all stages of data collection
N"&$b_u[ at both surveys. A questionnaire was administered
MM=W9# including demographic, family and medical history. A
fp,1qzU[k detailed eye examination included subjective refraction,
kbD*=d}3{ slit-lamp (Topcon SL-7e camera, Topcon Optical Co,
>t2]Ssi( Tokyo, Japan) and retroillumination (Neitz CT-R camera,
|+>%o.M&i Neitz Instrument Co, Tokyo, Japan) photography of the
?G2qlna lens. Grading of lens photographs in the BMES has been
aB/{ %%o previously described [12]. Briefly, masked grading was
InAU\! ew performed on the lens photographs using the Wisconsin
k];L!Fj1 Cataract Grading System [13]. Cortical cataract and PSC
.ruqRGe/ were assessed from the retroillumination photographs by
H9.oVF^~ estimating the percentage of the circular grid involved.
v$qpcu#o Cortical cataract was defined when cortical opacity
/e;e\k_}' involved at least 5% of the total lens area. PSC was defined
Lw!?T(SK when opacity comprised at least 1% of the total lens area.
mrhsKmH Slit-lamp photographs were used to assess nuclear cataract
@1/Q using the Wisconsin standard set of four lens photographs
,Zf
:R [13]. Nuclear cataract was defined when nuclear opacity
=U)n`#6_j2 was at least as great as the standard 4 photograph. Any cataract
~gSF@tz@ was defined to include persons who had previous
dj8F6\ cataract surgery as well as those with any of three cataract
b'1/cY/! types. Inter-grader reliability was high, with weighted
vE^h}~5U kappa 0.82 for cortical cataract, 0.55 (simple kappa 0.75)
~YR <SV\{ for nuclear cataract and 0.82 for PSC grading. The intragrader
^bZ<9} reliability for nuclear cataract was assessed with
P wt ?9I simple kappa 0.83 for the senior grader who graded
;'b!7sMO~ nuclear cataract at both surveys. All PSC cases were confirmed
nR=2eBNf by an ophthalmologist (PM).
S,d ngb{ In cross-section I, 219 persons (6.0%) had missing or
4\ uZKv@, ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3435 with photographs
t?3{s\z 8+ available for cortical cataract and PSC assessment,
N3S,33
8s while 1153 (31.6%) had randomly missing or ungradable
M]%!n3Fb Topcon photographs due to a camera malfunction, leaving
b#/V; 2501 with photographs available for nuclear cataract
1@1+4P0NF[ assessment. Comparison of characteristics between participants
~/]\iOL with and without Neitz or Topcon photographs in
;%b <u
V cross-section I showed no statistically significant differences
jL>I5f between the two groups, as reported previously
xv(xweV+d [12]. In cross-section II, 441 persons (12.5%) had missing
;|;h9" or ungradable Neitz photographs, leaving 3068 for cortical
_{Fdw cataract and PSC assessment, and 648 (18.5%) had
0NuL9 missing or ungradable Topcon photographs, leaving 2860
b_K?ocq for nuclear cataract assessment.
Wf+Cc?/4 Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Analysis
Aoy1<8WP%
System (SAS, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). Age-adjusted
s[{:>~{iq prevalence was calculated using direct standardization of
vo}_%5v8
the cross-section II population to the cross-section I population.
z9);e8ck We assessed age-specific prevalence using an
|({UV-` interval of 5 years, so that participants within each age
sg9x?Bx9 group were independent between the two cross-sectional
/!&b'7y surveys.
5qeS|]^` BMC Ophthalmology 2006, 6:17
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X{9JSq (page number not for citation purposes)
q!9v}R3( Results
.$ P2W0G Characteristics of the two survey populations have been
B3g82dm previously compared [14] and showed that age and sex
J:TI>*tn distributions were similar. Table 1 compares participant
G,mH!lSm, characteristics between the two cross-sections. Cross-section
}TAGr 0 II participants generally had higher rates of diabetes,
\aJ-q?= hypertension, myopia and more users of inhaled steroids.
O(
5L2G Cataract prevalence rates in cross-sections I and II are
]`i@~Z h\ shown in Figure 1. The overall prevalence of cortical cataract
n\8[G[M was 23.8% and 23.7% in cross-sections I and II,
^hYR5SX respectively (age-sex adjusted P = 0.81). Corresponding
Ow .)h(y/ prevalence of PSC was 6.3% and 6.0% for the two crosssections
}9+1<mT9a/ (age-sex adjusted P = 0.60). There was an
*l'$pJ X increased prevalence of nuclear cataract, from 18.7% in
$et
: cross-section I to 23.9% in cross-section II over the 6-year
p TV@nP period (age-sex adjusted P < 0.001). Prevalence of any cataract
R82Zr@_ (including persons who had cataract surgery), however,
zHum&V8=H was relatively stable (46.9% and 46.8% in crosssections
~bWWu`h I and II, respectively).
vdFQf ^l After age-standardization, these prevalence rates remained
VOF
:+o@. stable for cortical cataract (23.8% and 23.5% in the two
(!&O4C5 surveys) and PSC (6.3% and 5.9%). The slightly increased
x;?1#W prevalence of nuclear cataract (from 18.7% to 24.2%) was
CO)b'V, not altered.
\z2hXT@D Table 2 shows the age-specific prevalence rates for cortical
H1b%:KRVK cataract, PSC and nuclear cataract in cross-sections I and
u1|Y;* II. A similar trend of increasing cataract prevalence with
!.GY~f<d$ increasing age was evident for all three types of cataract in
/$4?.qtu both surveys. Comparing the age-specific prevalence
K|J#/ between the two surveys, a reduction in PSC prevalence in
=z/mI y< cross-section II was observed in the older age groups (≥ 75
~x^+OXf!^g years). In contrast, increased nuclear cataract prevalence
n,'AFb4AF in cross-section II was observed in the older age groups (≥
jw
%FZ
70 years). Age-specific cortical cataract prevalence was relatively
89e.\EH consistent between the two surveys, except for a
B>nd9Z ' reduction in prevalence observed in the 80–84 age group
*x`l1o and an increasing prevalence in the older age groups (≥ 85
b({b5z.A years).
] j?Fk$C Similar gender differences in cataract prevalence were
OZ]3OL, observed in both surveys (Table 3). Higher prevalence of
@5@{Es1u cortical and nuclear cataract in women than men was evident
x=r6vOj but the difference was only significant for cortical
]mU*Y:< cataract (age-adjusted odds ratio, OR, for women 1.3,
RX|&