[An epidemiologic survey on lens opacities in Doumen County]

Age-related lens opacity is the main cause of vision disability in elderly all over the world. A longitudinal study was designed to investigate the prevalence of lens opacity. 1,817 eyes of 932 adults over 45 year-old were sampled randomly. The lens opacities were graded according to a standardized photo of the Lens Opacities Classification System II (LOCS-II). The prevalence of lens opacities in nuclear color, nuclear opacity, cortical opacity and subcapsular opacity was 16.1%, 28.6%, 30.3% and 8.7% respectively. The frequency of all four types of opacities increased with age. The prevalence of lens opacities in four types were higher in female than that in male. The color of nuclear was related to the degree of myopia, the deeper the higher. These results are important information in eye care project.