Purpose: To determine prevalence and associated factors of ocular hypertension in the adult Chinese population.
Methods: The Beijing Eye Study, a population-based prevalence study, included 4439 subjects out of 5324 subjects with an age of 40+ years invited to participate (response rate 83.4%). From the 4439 individuals, 4224 (95.2%) subjects fulfilled the inclusion criteria of the present study, that is, available readable optic disc photographs, a nonglaucomatous appearance of the optic disc, and a normal visual field in the case of an intraocular pressure higher than 21 mm Hg. The participants underwent an interview, a detailed ophthalmic examination, blood pressure measurements, and examination of blood samples. Ocular hypertension was defined as an intraocular pressure higher than 21 mm Hg with a normal appearance of the optic nerve head and no defects in frequency doubling perimetry.
Results: Ocular hypertension was detected in 299 (3.6%) eyes (prevalence rate: 3.63%+/-0.21%) of 160 (3.8%) subjects (prevalence rate: 3.79%+/-0.29%). In multiple regression analysis, ocular hypertension was significantly associated with serum levels of cholesterol [P=0.006; odds ratio (OR): 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-1.64], presence of diabetes mellitus (P=0.03; OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.04-2.07) and arterial hypertension (P<0.001; OR: 3.18; 95% CI: 1.86-5.43). Ocular hypertension was not significantly associated with age, sex, urban or rural region, refractive error, anterior chamber depth, optic disc area, and area of beta zone of parapapillary atrophy.
Conclusions: Ocular hypertension has a frequency of about 3.6% in the adult Chinese population with an age of 40+ years. Associated factors are diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and elevated serum cholesterol levels. Diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and elevated serum cholesterol concentrations should be checked in ocular hypertensive subjects.