The prevalence of visually significant cataracts is high among U.S. Hispanics - a population that often encounters barriers to health care - according to findings published in the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Cataracts, which can be removed surgically, cloud the eye’s lens and cause blindness.

Researchers determined the prevalence of cataract and cataract surgery among 4774 adults taking part in a population-based survey of visual impairment and blindness among Hispanics living in southern Arizona. Most of the subjects were of Mexican descent and all were at least 40 years of age.

The vast majority of subjects - 88 percent - had no significant cataract and no previous cataract surgery, whereas 2.3 percent had visually significant cataract in one eye and 0.5 percent had visually significant cataract in both eyes.

Roughly 5 percent of individuals had undergone bilateral cataract surgery.

“Prevalence of visually significant cataract increased with age, as did prevalence of bilateral cataract surgery,” Dr. Sheila K. West, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues report.

When the investigators compared those who received cataract surgery with those needing surgery, they found that having medical insurance and speaking English were significantly associated with having undergone the surgery.

The investigators conclude that financial and language barriers to cataract surgery need to be addressed for Hispanic individuals of Mexican descent living in the U.S.

SOURCE: Archives of Ophthalmology, September 2005.