Læknablaðið - 15.08.1987, Síða 28

212
LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
Ef litið er á yngri aldurshópana, þá eru í 73ja-82ja
ára hópnum tveir af 117 blindir eða 1,7%, en
0,8% í rannsókn Guðmundar Björnssonar (12)
fyrir 75-84 ára fyrir allt landið.
í nýlegri skoskri könnun á blindraskýrslum (23)
eru sjónuskemmdir vegna sykursýki algengasta
orsök blindu 45-64 ára, en enginn er blindur af
völdum sykursýki í núverandi könnun og er ljóst
að sykursýki veldur sjaldnar blindu hér á landi en
í nágrannalöndunum (24).
Núverandi og fyrri rannsóknir sýna að
augnlækningaferðalög á vegum
heilbrigðisþjónustu hafa og hafa haft mikið gildi
bæði sem frumheilsugæsla augna og sem
forvarnarstarf.
Þakkir: Vísindasjóður hefur styrkt þetta verkefni.
Vikar Pétursson verkfæðingur aðstoðaði við
tölfræðilega útreikninga.
SUMMARY
Prevalence of Ocular Disease and Biindness in a Rural
Area in the Eastern Region of Iceland 1980 through
1984.
One of the authors (FJ) travelled 3 times a year during
1980 through 1984 providing ophthalmic services to a
rural area in the Eastern Region of Iceland. By the lst of
December 1982 the population 43 years of age and older
was 925 persons. 751 persons or 81.2% had eye
examination (table I). All patients with severe eye
diseases were seen several times and some referred for
further investigation to The University Eye Department
in Reykjavik. Diagnostic criteria are the same as in the
Framingham Eye Study in Massachusetts.
Prevalence of cataract and aphakia as well as age and
sex distribution are presented in table II and figure 1.
Females outnumbered males by 3:2, when the sex
distribution in the population had been accounted for.
In the age group 53-82 years old there is a statistically
significant difference in the occurrance of the disease
between males and females (P<0.02). Women appear
to develop cataract at an earlier age than men.
The results for chronic simple glaucoma are presented in
table III and figure 2. Males outnumbered females by
3:2 when the sex distribution in the population had been
accounted for. Among persons 73 years of age and older
there is a statistically significant difference in the
occurrance of the disease between males and females
(P<0.05).
The results for age related macular degeneration are
presented in table IV and figure 3. There was no
difference between males and females. If the persons
with age related macular degeneration are however
divided into exudative and atrophic macular
degeneration females outnumber males by 2:1 in the
exudative group, which is mainly accounted for by over
representation of females in the oldest age group, which
indicates, that females in this age group may be more
likely than males to develop the exudative type. Persons
83 years and older who had age related macular
degeneration also had cataracts in all instances and open
angle glaucoma in 23.8% of cases.
Sixteen persons were legally blind i.e. had visual acuity
< 6/60 in the better eye or visual field < 10° in the better
eye. Eight persons thereof, were 83 years of age. Eleven
of the legally blinds had mainly suffered severe visual
loss because of macular degeneration, three because of
primary open angle glaucoma and one patient who had
cataracts and had refused operation, and one patient
had suffered visual loss from choreoretinitis (Fig. 5).
HEIMILDIR
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