prevalence and causes of visual impairment among the elderly of sari, 2011

purpose : to determine the prevalence of visual impairment, blindness, and low vision among the elderly population of sari in northern iran methods : random cluster sampling of 1,185 selected individuals over 54 years of age, of whom 79.1% participated. participants underwent eye examinations to test presenting visual acuity (va), best corrected visual acuity (bcva), and refraction. results : based on their presenting va, the prevalence of visual impairment, blindness, and low vision were 11.1% (95%ci: 9.1-13.1), 3.7% (95% ci: 2.5-5.0), and 7.4% (95% ci: 5.7-9.0), respectively. based on the bcva, the results were 3.7% (95% ci: 2.3-5.1), 1.0% (95% ci: 0.2-1.7), and 2.7% (95% ci: 1.5-3.9), respectively. based on the presenting va, the most common causes of visual impairment were refractive errors (68.6%) and cataracts (16.7%). conclusion : refractive errors and cataracts were the main causes of visual impairment in the elderly population of sari. correcting refractive errors and cataracts could reduce 85% of visual impairment, depending on the presenting va.   iranian journal of ophthalmology 201325(4):262-269 © 2013 by the iranian society of ophthalmology