Search

Purpose: There is a relative paucity of self-reported vision problems data in European countries., Methods: In this context, we investigated self-reported vision problems through European Health Interview Survey 2, a cross-sectional European population survey based on a standardized questionnaire including 147 medical, demographic and socioeconomic variables applied to non-institutionalized individuals aged 15 years or more in 28 European countries, in addition to Iceland and Norway., Results: The survey included 311 386 individuals (54.18% women), with overall crude prevalence of self-reported vision problems of 2.07% [95% CI; 2.01-2.14]. Among them, 1.70 % [1.61-1.78] of men, 2.41% [2.31-2.51] of women and 4.71% [4.53-4.89] of individuals aged 60 or more reported to have a lot of vision problems or to be not able to see. The frequency of self-reported vision problems was the highest in Eastern European countries with values of 2.43% [2.30-2.56]. In multivariate analyses, limiting long-standing illness, depression, daily smoking, lack of physical activity, lower educational level and social isolation were associated with self-reported vision problems with ORs of 2.66 [2.42-2.92], 2.16 [2.01-2.32], 1.11 [1.01-1.23], 1.31 [1.21-1.42], 1.29 [1.19-1.40] and 1.45 [1.26-1.67], respectively, while higher income was associated with less self-reported vision problems with OR of 0.80 [0.73-0.86]., Conclusions: This study demonstrated inequalities in terms of prevalence of self-reported vision problems in Europe, with higher prevalence in Eastern European countries and among women and older individuals., (© 2020 The Authors. Acta Ophthalmologica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Acta OphthalmologicaScandinavica Foundation.)

To investigate the prevalence and new onset of depression and anxiety among subjects with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its association with AMD in a large European cohort with relatively good visual acuity. 11,834 participants enrolled in the German population-based Gutenberg Health Study were studied. AMD was diagnosed by grading of fundus photographs. Depression and anxiety were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 Scale, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were performed and adjusted for several parameters. 1,089 (9.2%) participants were diagnosed having AMD. Prevalence of depression in AMD and non-AMD participants was 7.2% and 8.0%, respectively and prevalence of anxiety was 4.2% and 7.0%, respectively. New onset of depression and anxiety at 5-year follow-up in AMD subjects was 2.6% and 3.6%, respectively. AMD was not associated with depression (OR 0.93; CI 95% 0.70-1.20; p = 0.62). AMD was associated with less anxiety (OR 0.67; CI 95% 0.47-0.93; p = 0.02). This is the first study analyzing both prevalence and new onset of depression and anxiety in AMD subjects. AMD- and non-AMD participants had a similar prevalence and new onset of depression in our population-based sample. Participants without AMD had a higher prevalence of anxiety. AMD was not associated with depression.

Purpose: The aim of the European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium was to develop a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-based classification for macular diseases to standardize epidemiological studies., Methods: A European panel of vitreoretinal disease experts and epidemiologists belonging to the E3 consortium was assembled to define a classification for SD-OCT imaging of the macula. A series of meeting was organized, to develop, test and finalize the classification. First, grading methods used by the different research groups were presented and discussed, and a first version of classification was proposed. This first version was then tested on a set of 50 SD-OCT images in the Bordeaux and Rotterdam centres. Agreements were analysed and discussed with the panel of experts and a final version of the classification was produced., Results: Definitions and classifications are proposed for the structure assessment of the vitreomacular interface (visibility of vitreous interface, vitreomacular adhesion, vitreomacular traction, epiretinal membrane, full-thickness macular hole, lamellar macular hole, macular pseudo-hole) and of the retina (retinoschisis, drusen, pigment epithelium detachment, hyper-reflective clumps, retinal pigment epithelium atrophy, intraretinal cystoid spaces, intraretinal tubular changes, subretinal fluid, subretinal material). Classifications according to size and location are defined. Illustrations of each item are provided, as well as the grading form., Conclusion: The E3 SD-OCT classification has been developed to harmonize epidemiological studies. This homogenization will allow comparing and sharing data collection between European and international studies., (© 2018 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Within a surveillance of the prevalence and causes of vision impairment in high-income regions and Central/Eastern Europe, we update figures through 2015 and forecast expected values in 2020., Methods: Based on a systematic review of medical literature, prevalence of blindness, moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI), mild vision impairment and presbyopia was estimated for 1990, 2010, 2015, and 2020., Results: Age-standardised prevalence of blindness and MSVI for all ages decreased from 1990 to 2015 from 0.26% (0.10-0.46) to 0.15% (0.06-0.26) and from 1.74% (0.76-2.94) to 1.27% (0.55-2.17), respectively. In 2015, the number of individuals affected by blindness, MSVI and mild vision impairment ranged from 70 000, 630 000 and 610 000, respectively, in Australasia to 980 000, 7.46 million and 7.25 million, respectively, in North America and 1.16 million, 9.61 million and 9.47 million, respectively, in Western Europe. In 2015, cataract was the most common cause for blindness, followed by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, uncorrected refractive error, diabetic retinopathy and cornea-related disorders, with declining burden from cataract and AMD over time. Uncorrected refractive error was the leading cause of MSVI., Conclusions: While continuing to advance control of cataract and AMD as the leading causes of blindness remains a high priority, overcoming barriers to uptake of refractive error services would address approximately half of the MSVI burden. New data on burden of presbyopia identify this entity as an important public health problem in this population. Additional research on better treatments, better implementation with existing tools and ongoing surveillance of the problem is needed., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JBJ: consultant for Mundipharma (Cambridge, UK), patent holder with Biocompatibles UK (Farnham, Surrey, UK) (Title: Treatment of eye diseases using encapsulated cells encoding and secreting neuroprotective factor and/or anti-angiogenic factor; patent no 20120263794) and patent application with University of Heidelberg (Heidelberg, Germany) (Title: Agents for use in the therapeutic or prophylactic treatment of myopia or hyperopia; Europäische Patentanmeldung 15 000 771.4). AMB: consultant for Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Théa and VISUfarma. Research grants from Horus. JHK: consultant for Gilead and Santen. SR: consultant for Brien Holden Vision Institute., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

The European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium is a recently formed consortium of 29 groups from 12 European countries. It already comprises 21 population-based studies and 20 other studies (case-control, cases only, randomized trials), providing ophthalmological data on approximately 170,000 European participants. The aim of the consortium is to promote and sustain collaboration and sharing of data and knowledge in the field of ophthalmic epidemiology in Europe, with particular focus on the harmonization of methods for future research, estimation and projection of frequency and impact of visual outcomes in European populations (including temporal trends and European subregions), identification of risk factors and pathways for eye diseases (lifestyle, vascular and metabolic factors, genetics, epigenetics and biomarkers) and development and validation of prediction models for eye diseases. Coordinating these existing data will allow a detailed study of the risk factors and consequences of eye diseases and visual impairment, including study of international geographical variation which is not possible in individual studies. It is expected that collaborative work on these existing data will provide additional knowledge, despite the fact that the risk factors and the methods for collecting them differ somewhat among the participating studies. Most studies also include biobanks of various biological samples, which will enable identification of biomarkers to detect and predict occurrence and progression of eye diseases. This article outlines the rationale of the consortium, its design and presents a summary of the methodology.