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The Shihpai Eye Study is a population-based study focusing on epidemiological research of eye diseases of the elderly in Shihpai region of Taipei, Taiwan. The data collected was between July 1, 1999 and December 31, 2000. A total of 1361 individuals participated in both the questionnaire and eye examination. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on demographic data, personal medical history, family history, and lifestyle. Blood pressure, weight, height, and waist and hip circumference were measured by fully trained interviewers. Those who interviewed were invited to the study, which was conducted in Taipei Veterans General Hospital, a major medical center in Taiwan, for a comprehensive standardized ophthalmic examination. The results showed that the prevalence of visual impairment, dry eye, and pterygium were 3.53%, 23.5%, and 7.9%, respectively. The rate of blindness and low vision was estimated to be 0.59% and 2.94%, respectively. The leading cause of visual impairment was cataract followed by myopic macular degeneration and age-related macular degeneration. The prevalence of cataract was revealed to be 59.2% with women having a higher prevalence than men. Cigarette smoking was also a risk factor for cataract. The prevalence of dry eye (23.5%) was higher in Caucasian (14.6%). Intraocular pressure (IOP) decreases with age, women have higher IOP than men, and IOP in elderly Chinese are lower than white people. Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration among the elderly was 11.2% and the prevalence of glaucoma was 6.7%. Twelve articles regarding Shihpai Eye Study have been published in SCI journals. The series of reports identified prevalence and risk factors for various eye diseases. The findings serve as an important reference to compare with other population-based eye studies in United States, Australia, Europe, and Asia.
W.-M. Hsu. Department of Ophthalmology, Shuang Ho Hospital - Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, .
1.1 Epidemiology (Part of: 1 General aspects)