The clinical characteristics of Asian and Caucasian patients on Bradford's Low Vision Register

To analyse the clinical characteristics of patients on the Bradford Low Vision Register with regards to the type (partially sighted or blind), sex, race, causes and age at registration.

All the data were obtained from the Morley Street Resource Centre, which keeps records of all registrations in the Bradford Metropolitan District. Information including postcode, date of birth, age, gender, ethnic group, degree, date of registration, cause of registration and age at registration were entered into a database.

Of all registrations, 64% were blind and 36% were partially sighted. Asians were younger at registration and there were a significantly lower number of females compared to Caucasians. When data were analysed for the different age groups, in the older group of over 65 years, Asians showed significantly more diabetic retinopathy (26.1%) compared to Asians (7.8%), while Caucasians demonstrated significantly more glaucoma (C: 29.3%; A: 17.4%). In the younger age group (<30 years), the leading causes for Asians were retinitis pigmentosa and nystagmus while for Caucasians it was congenital cataracts and optic atrophy. The proportion of Asians registered was significantly lower than expected from the projected population estimates in Bradford.

The study indicates significant differences in the clinical profiles of the two racial groups. The data do not follow the predictions from published population estimates, with Asians, especially females, being under-represented in the register.