Community Survey of Low Vision in Two Communities of Beijing in China

Objective: To investigate the visual function, major causes of visual impairment, vision-related quality of life and rehabilitation needs of low vision patients in two communities of Beijing. Methods: Visually disabled people registered in the Desheng community, Xicheng district and the Jiuxianqiao community, Chaoyang district in Beijing were included in this cross sectional epidemiological study from September 2013 to April 2015. Interviews, visual acuity tests, slit lamp examination, and funduscopy were performed. Vision-related quality of life, a questionnaire about living conditions and rehabilitation needs were recorded during home visits. Data were analyzed with a χ2 test, t test or rank-sum test. Logistic regression were used to identify the factors relevant to vision-related quality of life. Results: There were 388 visually disabled people registered in these two communities. One hundred fifty-one patients (39.0%) were visited and evaluated at home. Of the 151 participants, 110(74.3%) were identified as low vision according to the Bangkok-Madrid standard. Among them, 66 patients (60.0%) had a best corrected visual acuity for either eye that was lower than 0.05 or the residual visual field radius was less than 10°. The main causes for visual impairment were retinal or uveal diseases 55(50.0%), glaucoma 15(13.6%), or congenital or inherited diseases 15(13.6%). Their main rehabilitation needs were going outside by themselves and reading, which amounted to 81.8%. The average score for quality of life was 47.3±26.7 with a personal interview using the low vision quality-of-life questionnaire (LVQOL). No significant relationship was found between score and sex, age, or vision function among low vision patients. But for all participants, age and residual visual field were the main factors related to quality of life (P<0.001). Conclusions: Low vision people accounted for the major portion of visually disabled people in two Beijing communities. Their visual function is poor, and quality of life drops dramatically. The main causes of their visual impairments are irreversible eye diseases. They need the most help are going outside and reading. Key words: low vision; vision related quality of life; visual rehabilitation; community; Beijing