Prevalence and associated factors of uncorrected presbyopia among adults in cross-sectional Fujian Eye Study.

OBJECTIVE

With the improvement of people's living standards, the demand for eye health is no longer limited to being visible, but more importantly, being able to see clearly. The aging population has led to increasing attention on presbyopia worldwide. Our study aims to reveal the prevalence and related factors of uncorrected presbyopia among urban and rural adults over 50 years of Fujian Province Southeast China.

METHODS

A population-based cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the prevalence and related factors of presbyopia among urban and rural adults over 50 years in more than 50 communities of Fujian Province Southeast China from May 2018 to October 2019. A total of 8,211 residents aged over 50 years underwent a questionnaire and a series related examinations. Presenting near visual acuity (PNVA) was measured using logarithmic visual acuity chart at a distance of 40 cm, and uncorrected presbyopia was defined as PNVA worse than N6.

RESULTS

Among the 8,033 residents included in this study, the prevalence of uncorrected presbyopia was 68.6% (n = 5,509). Multivariable regression analysis identified older age, less educated, lower income, higher intraocular pressure (IOP), and higher spherical equivalent (SE) as factors independently associated with uncorrected presbyopia. In contrast, sex, height, weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP), outdoor time, phone usage (including use in the dark), history of hypertension, history of hyperlipidemia, smoking, alcohol consumption, tea consumption, and degree of urbanization showed no independent association after adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a significant burden of uncorrected presbyopia in southeast China, which suggested more investment in accessible services and policy to enhance eye health especially on less educated and low income elderly with high IOP and refractive error. Although age is a significant correlate, its value in discriminating presbyopia in an individual is modest at best within this age-homogeneous population.