Prevalence of eye disorders among the elderly in Los Angeles

A series of 431 vision screening records of seniors 55 years of age and older were analysed. Patients were examined by the UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic at two senior centers in the Los Angeles area, between the years 1982 and 1990. Sixty-eight percent of patients were females and 32% were males. The mean (+/-S.D.) age was 69 (+/-7.5) years. Common diagnoses were refractive errors (65.2%) and impaired visual acuity (37.0%). The prevalences of refractive errors were: hyperopia, 24.8%; myopia, 10.4%; presbyopia, 54.1%; and astigmatism, 31.8%. In most patients (94.0%), impaired visual acuity was corrected by spectacles. The prevalence of cataract was 29.5% and age-specific prevalences of cataract increased with age. The prevalences of other eye disorders were as follows: glaucoma, 6.3%; diabetic retinopathy, 1.2%; and macular degeneration, 5.1%. This study highlights the degree of ophthalmic disorders identified by vision screenings in the elderly population in senior centers; our results are consistent with previously reported studies of eye diseases in the elderly.