THE ETIOLOGY OF UNILATERAL AND BILATERAL BLINDNESS IN THE ELDERLY AND THE DIFFERENCES BY GENDER

OpenAlex İngilizce

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of unilateral and bilateral blindness in elderly patients and to evaluate its distribution by gender. Materials and Methods:Data from 22055 patients examined in the Ophthalmology Department between 2013-2020 were retrospectively analyzed.Patients 65 years or older were selected, and the causes of unilateral and bilateral blindness were evaluated.The patients were divided into two groups: 65-74 years old were presenile and 75 years or older were senile group.The factors causing blindness were evaluated separately by gender and age group.Results: 452 patients (213 females, 239 males) were 65 years or older with unilateral and bilateral low vision.A total of 193(42.7%)were in the presenile, and 259(57.3%)were in the senile group.Age-related macular degeneration was the most common cause of unilateral and bilateral blindness in both genders, followed by diabetic retinopathy in females and glaucoma in males.The most common cause of blindness in both presenile and senile groups was age-related macular degeneration, followed by diabetic retinopathy in the presenile, glaucoma in the senile group.Conclusions: In the presenile and senile groups, age-related macular degeneration was the most common cause of unilateral and bilateral blindness in females and males.Other leading causes were diabetic retinopathy in females and glaucoma in males.