The prevalence of uncorrected refractive error in Japan: the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study.

Abstract

Uncorrected refractive error (URE) is the leading cause of vision impairment and the second leading cause of blindness. It is a major public health challenge worldwide. However, the current status of URE in Japan is unclear. Cross-sectional study. In 2012, a population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among community dwellers aged 40years and older who received health check-ups in Minamiaizu and Tadami, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. URE was considered when the presenting visual acuity in the better-seeing eye was < 0.5 and when visual acuity improved more than 1 line with refractive correction in the better-seeing eye. We estimated the age-specific prevalence of URE, and calculated the p-value for trend to examine the linear pattern of the association of the prevalence of URE and age. This analysis included 2952 participants. The mean age (standard deviation [SD]) of the study population was 69.10(9.67) years and 57.79% were women. The overall prevalence of URE was 10.90% (95% CI, 9.77-12.05%). Prevalence by age category was 5.00% (95% CI, 2.03-10.03%), 6.09% (95% CI, 3.59-9.58%), 7.02% (95% CI, 5.49-8.81%), 11.96% (95% CI, 10.15-13.97%), and 22.39% (95% CI, 18.41-26.78%) for 40-49years, 50-59years, 60-69years, 70-79years, and 80years or older, respectively (p-for trend, < 0.001). The prevalence of URE was 10.9% and exceeded 20%, especially in individuals older than 80years. Given the correlation between increasing incidence of URE and increase in age, public health intervention to promote awareness of URE is important, especially for the older population.