Vitreoretinal interface abnormalities in middle-aged adults with visual impairment in the UK Biobank study: prevalence, impact on visual acuity and associations

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitreoretinal interface abnormalities (VRIA), the degree of visual impairment and associations with VRIA among adults, aged 40–69 years, in the UK Biobank study.Methods and analysisColour fundus photographs and spectral domain optical coherence tomography images were graded for 25% of the 8359 UK Biobank participants with mild visual impairment or worse (LogMAR >0.3 or Snellen <6/12) in at least one eye. The prevalence and contribution of VRIA to visual impairment was determined and multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate association with known risk factors and other predetermined socioeconomic, biometric, lifestyle and medical variables for cases and matched controls.ResultsThe minimum prevalence of any VRIA was 17.6% and 8.1% in the eyes with and without visual impairment, respectively. VRIA were identified as the primary cause of visual impairment in 3.6% of eyes. Although epiretinal membrane and vitreomacular traction were the most common VRIA, the degree of visual impairment was typically milder with these than with other VRIA. Visual impairment with a VRIA was positively associated with increasing age (relative risk ratio (RRR) 1.22 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.40)), female gender (RRR 1.28; 1.08 to 1.52) and Asian or Asian British ethnicity (RRR 1.60; 1.10 to 2.32).ConclusionsVRIA are common in middle-aged adults in the UK Biobank study, especially in eyes with visual impairment. VRIA were considered to be the primary cause of visual impairment in 3.6% of all eyes with visual impairment, although there was variation in the degree of visual impairment for each type of VRIA.

Prevalence, Causes, and Factors Associated with Visual Impairment in a Chinese Elderly Population: The Rugao Longevity and Aging Study

“…The prevalence of visual-impairing vitreoretinal interface abnormalities in our study (1.0%) was higher than that in the Hong Kong study (0.05%), 30 but lower than that in the UK Biobank Study (3.6%). 31 As the incidence of vitreoretinal interface abnormalities increase with age, 32 future population-based studies must include this as a potential cause of visual impairment among the elderly population.…”

Assessment of the Vitreomacular Interface Using High-Resolution OCT in a Population-Based Cohort Study of Older Adults

“…Potential risk factors were selected based on a literature search or those related to putative mechanisms proposed by the study team, they included age, sex, 7 body mass index (BMI; kg/m 2 )), smoking, 19 hypertension, spherical equivalent, 20 visual acuity, 21 plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c 22 and cataract. 11 HbA1c, triglycerides and HDL were measured on blood samples collected at the health assessment.…”

Vitreomacular interface abnormalities in the Ghanaian African

“…The BMES reported findings, similar to those in the BDES [ 59 ], whilst the NICOLA Study which included younger participants (mean age = 62 years) reported lower prevalences of VMA (22.6%), VMT (0.5%), ERM (7.6%), and macular holes (0.3%) [ 68 ]. Similarly, the UK Biobank study reported a 3.6% prevalence of VMI changes (in 55–66 year olds), with increasing age, female sex and Asian ethnicity as significant associations [ 30 ]. The study by Zapata et al [ 69 ] included participants aged 45 years and older and reported a lower prevalence of vitreoretinal interface abnormalities [ 70 ].…”

“…The Beaver Dam Eye Study (BDES) recently reported the population prevalence of VMI abnormalities (VMIA) in participants aged 63 years and older [ 29 ]. McKibbin et al [ 30 ] reported on VMI grading on OCT in 25% of 8359 (2090) participants with visual impairment (VI) (in at least one eye) in the UK Biobank study (aged 54–66 years), which included 374 (4.9%), 73 (4.4%), and 22 (5.3%) Black or Black British controls without VI, participants with VI without vitreoretinal interface abnormalities (VRIA), and those with VI and VRIA, respectively [ 30 ].…”