The hidden burden of undiagnosed eye disease in Singapore

A new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology has outlined the prevalence of undiagnosed age-related eye disease in Singapore.

Researchers examined a cohort of 1878 adults from the Population Health and Eye Disease Profile in Elderly Singaporeans study – which included individuals of Chinese, Malay, and Indian ethnicity aged 60 years or older living in Singapore.

The study cohort received an eye examination to determine whether they had four different age-related eye conditions: age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma.

Participants were considered undiagnosed if they did not report a previous diagnosis or related interventions for the condition.

The researchers found that 36% of adults within the study cohort had at least one undiagnosed age-related eye condition.

Among those with undiagnosed eye conditions, 87.6% had one undiagnosed eye condition, 11.7% had two undiagnosed eye conditions and 0.7% (five individuals) had three undiagnosed eye conditions.

Younger participants among the study cohort were more likely to have an undiagnosed eye condition. Individuals of Indian and Malay ethnicity were more likely to have undiagnosed eye disease than those of Chinese ethnicity.

The study authors highlighted that the study illustrates the value of targeted screening programmes.

“These results support the use of community eye screening services and health awareness campaigns targeted toward individuals at the lower end of the older than 60 years spectrum and those of Malay and Indian ethnicities to mitigate the detrimental effects of undiagnosed eye diseases in these individuals,” the authors noted.