| Objective: To investigate the prevalence and cause of blindness and low vision among Uigur peasants aged 40 and over in Kuche county of Xinjiang, China, andcompare the result with the 2005's, and to analyze why the changes has happened. Methods: Cluster sampling was used in randomly selecting individuals aged 40 or above in Kuche county of Xinjiang.A survey of visual acuity and ocular statue was performed on total of 4191 individuals.The prevalence of blindness and low vision was calculated based on the WHO blindness criterion. Ocular clinical examination was carried out in the eyes with pinhole presenting visual acuity less than 0.3, and the principal cause of low sight and blindness was analyzed. Results: A total 4191 among 4873 subjects were investigated with the examination rate 86.0%. Survey result showed a prevalence of bilateral blindness and bilateral low visual acuity 3.41% and 6.82%, respectively, which was 2.1% and 9.9% in 2005. The prevalence of bilateral blindness in the group aged≥60 years was 3.83 fold more than that in the group 40～49 years, showing a statistically significant difference between these two groups (P<0.05). The prevalence of bilateral blindness in the male group was 1.01 fold more than that in the female group without a statistically significant difference (P>0.05).The prevalence of bilateral blindness in the group with illiteracy was 1.44 fold more than that in the group with literate with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The leading cause of blindness in subjects was cataract (44.53%). Conclusion: The prevalence of blindness and low visual acuity among Uigur peasants aged 40 and over in Kuche county still is higher than other locations in China, compare with the result of 2005 the prevalence of bilateral blindness is higgher and the bilateral low visual is lower, cataract is still the leading cause of blindness. Prevention and management of cataract is still a key project in Uigur peasants aged 40 and over. |
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