Objective: To evaluate the long-term trend of cataract prevalence and the effect of prevention and treatment blindness in Zhejiang Province.
Methods: The data were obtained from handicapped sampling investigation in 1987 and 2006 in Zhejiang Province, and from a database of prevention and treatment blindness of the Zhejiang Province Disabled Persons' Federation.
Results: In 2006, a random sampling investigation were carried out on both eyes blind and the low vision in Zhejiang Province. Sample size were 95,392, the prevalence rate of blindness and low vision were 2.67% per hundred and 5.94% per hundred, respectively. The prevalence rate of cataract was 7.35% per hundred, the female was higher than the male (chi2 = 81.66, P < 0.01). Among the blind, 58.86% was caused by cataract, and the low vision caused by cataract was 63.79%. Comparing with the first disabled person' investigation in 1987, the result showed that the prevalence of blindness had reduces slightly, but no significantly difference (chi2 = 0.384, P = 0.535), and that the prevalence of low vision appeared significantly increase (chi2 = 32.434, P < 0.01). Together with two investigations results indicated that cataract is the first cause for the vision disability.
Conclusion: Cataract is still the first cause for blindness and low vision. Though the effort to prevention and treatment blindness during 20 years obtains some certain results, prevent and treat blindness will still be an arduous work in Zhejiang province, because of accelerated aging population problem, which will induce an increase on number of cataract patient.