Table 2.

Prevalence of vision loss

	Vision loss
	frequency	%	95% CI
Total	481	9.2	[7.7–10.9]
Age (years)
15–44	111	5.1	[3.8–6.8]
45–54	117	16.9	[12.4–22.5]
55–64	140	23.4	[17.0–31.3]
≥ 65	113	21.1	[14.8–29.3]
Sex
Males	160	7.2	[5.6–9.1]
Females	321	10.8	[8.8–13.2]
Ethnicity
African	290	9.3	[7.5–11.3]
White	3	2.2	[0.7–7.0]
Mixed race	118	8.8	[5.9–12.7]
Indian/Asian	70	29.5	[21.2–39.3]
Highest Education
No formal schooling/Gr0–7	240	15.1	[12.1–18.6]
Grade 8–12 (or equivalent)	215	7.5	[5.9–9.4]
Higher education	26	6.3	[3.4–11.4]
Employed
No	377	9.8	[8.0–11.9]
Yes	104	7.7	[5.5–10.7]
Urban/Rural residence
Rural	155	8.3	[6.4–10.7]
Urban	326	9.7	[7.7–12.2]
Province
Western Cape	87	7.8	[5.2–11.7]
Eastern Cape	36	6.3	[4.1–9.6]
Northern Cape	34	5.8	[3.2–10.4]
Free State	41	9.9	[5.3–17.8]
KwaZulu Natal	165	17.6	[13.2–23.1]
North West	26	5.1	[2.8–9.2]
Gauteng	54	9.2	[5.6–14.7]
Mpumalanga	9	1.3	[0.5–3.4]
Limpopo	29	7.3	[4.3–12.0]
Self-reported diagnosis of diabetes
No previous diabetes diagnosis	386	7.8	[6.5–9.5]
Previous diabetes diagnosis	95	30.1	[22.4–39.3]
Years since last eye examination
≤ 2 years	158	13.3	[9.7–18.0]
3–5 years	38	13.2	[8.1–20.9]
> 5 years	27	8.8	[4.6–16.4]
Never	258	7.7	[6.2–9.4]
Do you use eyeglasses or contact lenses to see far away†
Yes	111	14.3	[9.3–21.2]
No	367	8.4	[7.0–10.1]
Do you use eyeglasses or contact lenses to see up close†
Yes	126	12.4	[8.2–18.2]
No	348	8.5	[7.1–10.2]
In the last 30 days, how difficult was it to see & recognize an object or a person you know across the road (from a distance of about 20 m)?†
None	269	6.3	[5.1–7.7]
Mild	84	19.1	[13.0–27.0]
Moderate	63	24.1	[17.7–31.8]
Severe	49	36.3	[23.0–52.0]
In the last 30 days, how difficult was it to see & recognize an object at arm’s length†
None	260	6.3	[5.1–7.7]
Mild	98	18	[13.1–24.2]
Moderate	62	23.4	[16.9–31.4]
Severe	46	40	[26.0–55.8]

%, percentage of frequency; CI Confidence Interval