{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T20:19:17Z","timestamp":1777580357505,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759881600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759881600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"name":"Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}]},{"name":"Class Optical \u00ae","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}]},{"name":"Prohealth Ltd \u00ae","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100019565","name":"Research Innovation and Development Trust, University of Malta","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["20190304"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20190304"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100019565","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["European Journal of Ophthalmology"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To describe the population characteristics, prevalence, and causes of visual impairment in Maltese adults aged 50\u201380 years.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The Malta Eye Study invited 4,006 random adults aged 50\u201380 for eye exams and interviews at the Malta and Gozo state hospitals (September 2021\u2013July 2024). Tests included visual acuity, refraction, anthropometry, clinical measurements, tonometry, slit-lamp and dilated fundus exams, retinal imaging, and cognitive screening. Interviews covered sociodemographic, medical, ocular, and medication histories.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A representative sample of 1,794 individuals (44.8% turnout) were assessed. Visual impairment in either eye was found in 23.9% (95%CI 21.9%\u201325.9%), and bilateral impairment in 6.0% (95%CI 4.9%\u20137.2%). The most common causes in either eye were uncorrected\/undercorrected refractive error (12.3%), amblyopia (5.0%), cataract (3.8%), pathological myopia (1.3%), diabetic retinopathy (0.8%), age-related macular degeneration (0.6%), and glaucoma (0.4%). Predictors of visual impairment included older age, lower education, diabetes requiring insulin and tablets, and dementia. Protective factors were sunglasses use and angiotensin receptor blocker therapy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Although overall visual impairment rates are favourable, this study highlights the need to strengthen screening and treatment services for avoidable causes, particularly by improving public optometry access, among older adults, socioeconomically vulnerable groups, and those with poorly controlled diabetes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/11206721251383740","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]],"date-time":"2025-10-08T17:41:48Z","timestamp":1759945308000},"page":"250-262","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The population characteristics and prevalence of visual impairment in a Southern European population"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"36","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8485-1915","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David","family":"Agius","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Malta"},{"name":"Mater Dei Hospital"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Julian","family":"Mamo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Malta"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1800-2103","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Neville","family":"Calleja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Malta"},{"name":"Directorate of Health Information and Research, Ministry of Health and Active Ageing, Msida, Malta"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Cassar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mater Dei Hospital"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xeniya","family":"Marku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mater Dei Hospital"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Christina","family":"Nappa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mater Dei Hospital"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michaela","family":"Zammit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mater Dei Hospital"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Elena","family":"Pace","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical School, University of Malta, Msida, Malta"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francis","family":"Carbonaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Malta"},{"name":"Mater Dei Hospital"},{"name":"King's College"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","article-title":"Trends in prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment over 30 years: an analysis for the global burden of disease study","volume":"9","author":"Bourne RRA","year":"2021","unstructured":"Bourne RRA, Steinmetz JD, Flaxman S, et al. 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