The prevalence and incidence of visual impairment in XXXX of age 20-59 years in industrialized countries: a review.

@entity4064 @entity1 @entity1939
BACKGROUND: Reviews on the prevalence of @entity4064 in @entity1 of age 20 to 59 years are lacking. We have therefore carried out a review based on a Medline search. METHODS: The review was confined to epidemiological studies performed in Western Europe, North America and Australia covering the age group 20 to 59 years where there were comparable definitions of @entity4064 according to the IAPB and WHO classification of @entity4064 . RESULTS: Three surveys, four register studies and two studies based on multiple sources matched our selection criteria. Blindness and @entity4064 are described separately. Blindness: Only one study, based on multiple sources, covered the whole age group 20 to 59 years. In this study the overall prevalence of @entity1939 was 0.08%. The prevalence of @entity1939 was 0.04% among those 20-39 years old, whereas in the age group 40-59 years it was 0.1% in two surveys and one study on multiple sources. However, the prevalence was higher, 0.5% among whites and 0.7% among colored, in The Baltimore Eye Study. The @entity1939 was similar in all three studies. @entity4064 : Three studies provided data on the prevalence of @entity4064 in the age group 20-59 years, although the number of cases was very small. In one study the prevalence of a visual acuity < or = 6/24 to 6/48 was 0.07% and in another the prevalence was 0.17% using < 6/18 to 0.5/60. No @entity1 with @entity4064 was found in the third study. CONCLUSIONS: The existing epidemiological data on @entity4064 among adults aged 20 to 59 years are insufficient. Epidemiological studies based on multiple sources are needed for the study of rare conditions such as @entity4064 .
