The British Asian Community Eye Study: Outline of results on the prevalence of eye disease in British Asians with origins from the Indian subcontinent

Abstract

Background:Asians from the Indian Subcontinent form the largest ethnic minority in the United Kingdom. Data on the prevalence of visually-impairing eye conditions in this population are vital for planning eye health care services.Materials and Methods:This survey was based in the two London boroughs with the largest Asian populations. Subjects originating from the Indian Subcontinent were identified from GP practice records. All subjects were asked about demographic details and were given a full ophthalmological examination. The severity of cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related maculopathy was recorded. Blindness was defined as logMAR visual acuity of 0.99 (Snellen equivalence 20/200 in the better eye) or worse, ‘low vision’ was defined as Snellen equivalence of 20/63 or worse (logMAR 0.5 or higher), and visual impairment was defined as visual acuity worse than 20/40.Results:The median age was 56 years. Two hundred and eighty four subjects did not attend for eye examination. Of the 922 examined, 128 subjects (13.9%) were ‘visually impaired,’ 39 (4.2%) had ‘low vision,’ and 6 (0.7%) were bilaterally blind. The overall prevalence of cataract, open-angle glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy were 77%, 1.0%, 8.7%, and 8.8%, respectively.Conclusion:Visual impairment rates amongst Asians seem to be similar to Caucasian populations in the UK. The prevalence of cataract and diabetic retinopathy is higher, while the risk of ARMD and OAG are comparable. In view of the high cataract prevalence, a more detailed assessment of the visual profile and factors limiting healthcare accessibility in this community are needed.

Ethnic inequalities in hospital admissions in England: an observational study

“…The dominant sense organ condition for all ethnic groups was cataracts. This pattern is consistent with a UK survey of South Asian patients that showed higher cataract prevalence than the general population of the UK and the US [ 31 ].…”

Asian Race and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: Where Do We Stand?

“…Additionally, the pattern of disease has been described differently in Asian populations as compared to European populations, potentially due to anterior chamber and angle anatomy [8]. In comparison, studies done on POAG have been conducted in a wide variety of Asian populations, finding prevalence rates ranging from as low as 1.0% to as high as 6.5% (Table 1) [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Additionally, studies have estimated that approximately 70% of all POAG cases in Asians were of the normal-tension variety [13,24].…”

“…These racial differences in risk and potential mechanistic pathways necessitate an improved understanding of glaucoma pathology to more effectively treat individuals of Asian descent. To date, the most important data available on the epidemiology of primary forms of glaucoma (including POAG with high IOP, NTG, and PACG) in Asians are from a diverse set of studies [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]; however, findings have not been well synthesized to properly evaluate the specifics of the disease within the Asian population as well as its ethnic subgroups; therefore, in this review, we will summarize the current literature on primary forms of glaucoma with an emphasis on understanding NTG and its impact in aging Asian populations.…”

Health and Comorbidities in Minority Ethnic Adults Living with Visual Impairment in the UK

“…[15,16] and certain eye conditions which can lead to V.I. [17][18][19]. A UK survey of 2077 adults aged 18 and over showed that, when self-rating the quality of their vision, people from MEC were around twice as likely to rate their vision as Poor/Very Poor in comparison to those who were White British (14% vs. 7%, respectively) [20].…”