• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.209-217
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• 2011

Purpose: In this study, eye-health inequity was investigated by analyzing the relationship between household incomes and eye-health of senior citizens. Further, this study suggested the preliminary data for establishment of public eye-health policy in order to improve low income senior citizens' life quality. Methods: The data from the 2009 Survey of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination were analyzed in this study. The objectives of the KNHNE survey were over 65 year old group (1,668 people). Main factors of eye-health (visual acuity, cataract, pterygium, intraocular pressure, retinophathy, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinophathy, myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia prevalence) were analyzed with t-test and chi square test. Results: Low income group revealed that refractive error rate and intraocular pressure were low, however, naked eye visual acuity and corrected visual acuity were high at 0.1 to less than 0.5. On the other hands, in the high income group, there was high prevalence of hyperopia. Cataract mainly occurred at low income group besides group which maximum corrected visual acuity was below 0.8 also highly showed cataract. Moreover, the prevalence of cataract showed that it related with smoking, drinking, occupation, and education level. Conclusions: Results revealed that there was inequity of eye-health which related with socioeconomic status of the elderly. Especially, the prevalence of cataract was correlated with life quality. Consequently, establishment of public eye-health policy seems to be required for eye-health inequity of low income senior citizens.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 1997

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of environmental factors on 380 children's unaided visual acuity and to determine the visual acuity and objective refraction error of these children. The unaided visual acuity and objective refraction error were measured by the TOPCON chart projector and refractometer on 147 kindergarteners and 233 primary school children ranging from age 5 to 12. The measurement on the unaided visual acuity of children were 3% for below the 0.1 visual acuity 9% for 0.1~0.4. 18% for 0.5~0.7. 16% for 0.8~0.9. and 54% for over 1.0 visual acuity respectively. The refractive errors were 9.35% for mixed astigmatism. 14.5% for hyperopia 75.88% for myopia. and 0.27% for emmetropia. respectively. When analyzing the environmental factors. the relationship between the children's visual acuity and the number of hours the children watched TV. the more hours they watched TV. the more the children lost their visual acuity. The visual acuity of children decreased abruptly in the groups that watched TV more than 4 hour a day. When comparing the relationship between the children's visual acuity and proximity to the TV, the further away from the TV they were the higher visual acuity. There is rna relation between the children's visual acuity and the studying hour or reading hour of children. The relationship between the children's visual acuity and their dwelling environment, the visual acuity of children who lived in an independent house were better than the visual acuity of children who dwelled in an apartment.