Clinical Research

Public Health Division

The South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology (SAIO) has gained a prominent international reputation for blindness prevention research in the South East Asia region. In addition it has a strong national reputation for research in eye health among the indigenous communities of South Australia.

• The Meiktila Eye Study

The Meiktila Eye Study (MES) was a population-based, cross-sectional ophthalmic survey of the inhabitants of rural villages in central Myanmar. This study was performed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Myanmar, the Yangon Eye Hospital, the Trachoma Control and Prevention Programme, and the Vision Myanmar Program of the SAIO.

No robust ophthalmic epidemiological data has ever been available from this region.

The principle aims of this project were to estimate the prevalence and causes of visual impairment and the prevalence and risk factors of ocular disorders, including glaucoma, among persons 40 years of age or older in this region.

Comprehensive ophthalmic examinations were performed on 2,076 individuals.
The data which has been collected will be of interest to the global ophthalmic community and the World Health Organization.

Currently 5 high-impact manuscripts have been published, and a further 7 are in press or in preparation.

8.1 % of the population was blind by World Health Standards. Most of the blindness was due to cataracts and a special form of glaucoma which can be treated by cataract surgery.

The data from the Meiktila Eye Study has led to the award of a $ 1000,000 AusAid Grant which will be used to develop a nation-wide cataract surgery program.

• The Kandy Eye Study

The Kandy Eye Study is a similar project to the MES. It is being conducted in central Sri Lanka. Again, no reliable data has previously been available from this region.

In collaboration with the Centre for Save Sight in Kandy, the SAIO has conducted a large-scale, population based study of 1400 inhabitants of rural villages. The blindness rate was 11 per 1000 with cataract and uncorrected refractive error (lack of glasses) the main causes for visual impairment.

This data will be published and presented internationally next year and will be used by the World Health Organization to help allocate scarce resources.

 

• The Botucatu Eye Study, Sao Paolo, Brazil

The initial population based study of 3,000 people in Botucatu was completed in 2005.

This is the first scientifically vigorous study on the causes and prevalence of blindness in Brazil and the data will be published early next year.

This study is collaboration with the Department of Ophthalmology, Botucatu School of Medicine, State University, Sao Paolo.

 

• The Ophthalmic Division of the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS)

This is a population-based study nested in the FAMAS cohort study. It is the largest sub-study of the FAMAS. Here, we are collecting detailed ophthalmic data on 900 individuals. This data will be used both in isolation and in conjunction with the medical data which has already accrued in the FAMAS. This data will provide data on the prevalence and causes of visual impairment in Adelaide and the prevalence and risk factors of common age-related eye diseases, including cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.

The conjunction of the ophthalmic and medical data is expected to provide answers to a multitude of clinical questions, particularly the relationship between age-related hormonal changes and ophthalmic disease.

This will be a world first in this field. Data collection was completed in February 2007 and analysis has commenced. We have found an association between the thickness of nerves in the retina (the light sensitive film at the back of the eye) and brain function. This has never been reported and may lead to new methods to diagnose early glaucoma.

 

• Indigenous Eye Health Research

The Department has completed several studies of the prevalence of trachoma, refractive error, and diabetic retinopathy among the indigenous communities of northern South Australia.

A recent study examined 1,600 subjects and found a decrease in the prevalence of blinding trachoma and a pressing need for improved screening for diabetic retinopathy among these communities.