Objective: To investigate the distribution characteristics of intraocular pressure (IOP) by sex, age, and geographic location in China and to build the corresponding reference intervals (RIs).
Material and methods: A cross-sectional, multi-centered, population-based study was conducted. All data were collected from participants without eye diseases who underwent ophthalmological examinations in 170 Health Screening Centers in mainland China in 2018. The non-contact tonometer was used to measure IOP. The age-, sex-, and province-specific RIs of IOP were investigated. The IOP of different age-sex groups was further explored by stratifying according to height, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, altitude, and geographic area.
Results: During the study, a population-based sample of 284,937 participants was included. The distribution of measured IOP followed an approximately Gaussian distribution, with a higher mean value in men than in women. The IOP showed a general trend of decline with age for both men and women and varied across geographical locations. The mean IOP was 15.4 (95% CI: 9.1-21.6) mmHg for men and 14.9 (95% CI: 9.0-20.8) mmHg for women. For men, it decreased from 11.0-23.5 mmHg at age 18-24 years to 10.5-20.5 mmHg at age ≥70 years. For women, it decreased from 10.5-22.0 to mmHg at age 18-24 years to 10.0-21.0 mm Hg at age ≥70 years.
Conclusions: The IOP varied with age, sex, metabolic disorders and geographic location. These RIs should be considered in the clinical process of glaucoma diagnosis and treatment.
Keywords: age; geographic distribution; intraocular pressure (IOP); reference interval; sex.
Copyright © 2022 Liu, Pan, Ma, Jin, Wang and Ning.