This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (8)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Aging/ Geriatrics  • Cataracts/ Lens  • Macular Degeneration  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

The Blue Mountains Eye Study

Sudha Cugati, MS; Robert G. Cumming, MPH, PhD; Wayne Smith, MPH, PhD; George Burlutsky, MStat; Paul Mitchell, MD, PhD; Jie Jin Wang, MMed, PhD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2007;125(7):917-924.

Objective  To assess the association of visual impairment, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), and cataract with long-term mortality.

Methods  At baseline, 3654 persons 49 years and older were examined in the Blue Mountains Eye Study (1992-1994). Standardized photographic grading was used to assess ARMD and cataract. Mortality and causes of death occurring between baseline and December 31, 2003, were obtained via data linkage with the Australian National Death Index. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed using Cox models.

Result  Age-standardized mortality was higher in persons with vs without visual impairment (54.0% vs 34.0%), ARMD (45.8% vs 33.7%), and cataract (39.2% vs 29.5%). After adjusting for factors that predict mortality, neither visual impairment (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.98-1.7) nor ARMD (HR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.8-1.3) was significantly associated with all-cause mortality in all ages. Among persons younger than 75 years, however, ARMD predicted higher all-cause mortality (HR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.4). Any cataract (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0-1.5) and cortical (HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.97-1.4), nuclear (HR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.98-1.5), and posterior subcapsular (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0-1.7) cataract were also associated with higher all-cause mortality.

Conclusion  Cataract predicted increased mortality in persons 49 years and older, and ARMD predicted mortality in persons aged 49 to 74 years.

Author Affiliations: Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Westmead Millennium Institute (Dr Cugati and Mr Burlutsky and Drs Mitchell and Wang) and Department of Public Health and Community Medicine (Dr Cumming), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; and Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia (Dr Smith).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Direct and Indirect Effects of Visual Impairment on Mortality Risk in Older Persons: The Blue Mountains Eye Study
Karpa et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2009;127:1347-1353.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT