Monocular and binocular visual impairment in the UK Biobank study: prevalence, associations and diagnoses. Issue 1 (31st January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McKibbin, Martin; Farragher, Tracey M; Shickle, Darren
• Other Names: author non-byline.; Aslam Tariq author non-byline.; Barman Sarah author non-byline.; Barrett Jenny author non-byline.; Bishop Paul author non-byline.; Blows Peter author non-byline.; Bunce Catey author non-byline.; Carare Roxana author non-byline.; Chakravarthy Usha author non-byline.; Chan Michelle author non-byline.; Chianca Antonietta author non-byline.; Cipriani Valentina author non-byline.; Crabb David author non-byline.; Cumberland Philippa author non-byline.; Day Alexander author non-byline.; Desai Parul author non-byline.; Dhillon Bal author non-byline.; Dick Andrew author non-byline.; Egan Cathy author non-byline.; Ennis Sarah author non-byline.; Foster Paul author non-byline.; Fruttiger Marcus author non-byline.; Gallacher John author non-byline.; (ted) garway-heath David author non-byline.; Gibson Jane author non-byline.; Gore Dan author non-byline.; Goverdhan Srini author non-byline.; Guggenheim Jeremy author non-byline.; Hammond Chris author non-byline.; Hardcastle Alison author non-byline.; Harding Simon author non-byline.; Hogg Ruth author non-byline.; Hughes Anne author non-byline.; Hysi Pirro author non-byline.; A Keane Pearse author non-byline.; Tee Khaw Peng author non-byline.; Khawaja Anthony author non-byline.; Lascaratos Gerassimos author non-byline.; Lotery Andrew author non-byline.; Luthert Phil author non-byline.; Macgillivray Tom author non-byline.; Mackie Sarah author non-byline.; Martin Keith author non-byline.; Mcgaughey Michelle author non-byline.; Mcguinness Bernadette author non-byline.; Mckay Gareth author non-byline.; Mitry Danny author non-byline.; Moore Tony author non-byline.; Morgan James author non-byline.; Muthy Zaynah author non-byline.; O'sullivan Eoin author non-byline.; Owen Chris author non-byline.; Patel Praveen author non-byline.; Paterson Euan author non-byline.; Peto Tunde author non-byline.; Petzold Axel author non-byline.; Rahi Jugnoo author non-byline.; Rudnicka Alicja author non-byline.; Grossi sampedro Carlota author non-byline.; Self Jay author non-byline.; Sivaprasad Sobha author non-byline.; Steel David author non-byline.; Stratton Irene author non-byline.; Strouthidis Nicholas author non-byline.; Sudlow Cathie author non-byline.; Thaung Caroline author non-byline.; Thomas Dhanes author non-byline.; Trucco Emanuele author non-byline.; Tufail Adnan author non-byline.; Ugarte Marta author non-byline.; Vitart Veronique author non-byline.; Vernon Stephen author non-byline.; Viswanathan Ananth author non-byline.; Williams;dr katie williams Cathy author non-byline.; Woodside Jayne author non-byline.; Yates John author non-byline.; Yates Max author non-byline.; Yip Jennifer author non-byline.; Zheng Yalin author non-byline.; Zhu Haogang author non-byline.;
• Is Part Of: BMJ open ophthalmology. Volume 3:Issue 1(2018)
• Publication Date: 2018-01-31
• Subjects: epidemiology -- vision -- public health; Ophthalmology -- Periodicals; 617.7005
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjophth-2017-000076
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2397-3269

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To determine the prevalence of, associations with and diagnoses leading to mild visual impairment or worse (logMAR >0.3) in middle-aged adults in the UK Biobank study. Methods and analysis: Prevalence estimates for monocular and binocular visual impairment were determined for the UK Biobank participants with fundus photographs and spectral domain optical coherence tomography images. Associations with socioeconomic, biometric, lifestyle and medical variables were investigated for cases with visual impairment and matched controls, using multinomial logistic regression models. Self-reported eye history and image grading results were used to identify the primary diagnoses leading to visual impairment for a sample of 25% of cases. Results: For the 65 033 UK Biobank participants, aged 40–69 years and with fundus images, 6682 (10.3%) and 1677 (2.6%) had mild visual impairment or worse in one or both eyes, respectively. Increasing deprivation, age and ethnicity were independently associated with both monocular and binocular visual impairment. No primary diagnosis for the recorded level of visual impairment could be identified for 49.8% of eyes. The most common identifiable diagnoses leading to visual impairment were cataract, amblyopia, uncorrected refractive error and vitreoretinal interface abnormalities. Conclusions: The prevalence of visual impairment in the UK Biobank study cohort is lower than for population-based studies from other industrialised countries. Monocular and binocular visual impairment are associated with increasing deprivation, age and ethnicity. The UK Biobank dataset does not allow confident identification of the causes of visual impairment, and the results may not be applicable to the wider UK population.