Purpose: To determine prevalence and causes of visual field loss (VFL) as determined by frequency doubling perimetry in elderly Chinese individuals.
Design: Population-based, cross-sectional cohort study.
Methods: The Beijing Eye Study included 4439 of 5324 subjects (83.4%) who were invited to participate with an age of 40+ years. Visual field was assessed by frequency doubling threshold perimetry. Main outcome measure was an abnormal visual field defined as at least one test location of reduced sensitivity.
Results: Of the 4439 people who were examined, 4350 subjects (98.0%; 8617 eyes) provided measurement data by frequency doubling perimetry. In subjects aged 40 to 49 years, the most frequent cause for VFL was degenerative myopia followed by glaucoma, other optic nerve diseases, and cataract. In the subjects aged 60 to 69 years, the most frequent cause for VFL was cataract, followed by glaucoma and degenerative myopia. In the subjects aged 70+ years, the most frequent cause for VFL was glaucoma, followed by cataract and degenerative myopia. VFL was associated significantly with age (P < .001), myopic refractive error (P < .001), rural region (P = .001), low level of education (P = .01), degree of nuclear cataract (P < .001), and intraocular pressure (P < .001).
Conclusion: In contrast to Western countries, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy play a minor role as a cause for VFL in China.