摘要：Objectives. Little information exists regarding the causes of visual impairment and the most common eye problems in American Indians/Alaska Natives. Methods. We randomly sampled American Indians/Alaska Natives older than 40 years from 3 tribes within the Northwest region. Results. We found a higher prevalence of visual impairment and normal-tension glaucoma, as well as a lower prevalence of ocular hypertension, in American Indians/Alaska Natives compared with previous results in other racial/ethnic groups. Conclusions. American Indians/Alaska Natives have a need for vision correction. Future interventions in American Indians/Alaska Natives should include providing spectacles for refractive error, detecting glaucoma, and preventing visual impairment from age-related maculopathy and cataracts. Investigators need prevalence information to guide preventive health measures. Epidemiological studies have documented the prevalence and cause of visual impairment in non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks in the United States. 1– 4 The Baltimore Eye Study indicated that undercorrected refractive error, cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma were the most common causes of visual impairment and blindness in an urban population of Whites and Blacks. 1, 2 Proyecto VER (Project Vision, Evaluation, Research), a study examining the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and other causes of visual loss in Mexican Americans, reported cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma as the most common causes of visual impairment in Hispanics in southern Arizona. 3 Macular degeneration was the most common cause of visual impairment in the Beaver Dam Study. 4 The Los Angeles Latino Eye Study determined the risk factors for visual impairment in Latinos in urban Los Angeles County. 5 Similar information regarding American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) populations does not exist. Most studies of AIAN populations have been chart reviews or convenience sample studies. 6– 8 These types of study designs do not reliably estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness because the selection criteria do not include randomization for all eligible participants of the population. Our purpose is to outline the common causes of visual impairment and the most common eye problems in a random sample of Northwest American Indians/Alaska Natives.
