The multinational Andean genetic and health program: III. Ophthalmic disease and disability among the Aymara

Direct ophthalmoscopy and slit lamp microscopy performed on 706 Aymara, Mestizo, and non-Aymara residents of Chile's Department of Arica failed to disclose unusual disorders of the eye or its adnexa attributable to the subjects' biological origins. Much of the pathology that was encountered could be attributed to the dust, persistent wind, low humidity, and ultraviolet radiation which characterizes much of this area of Chile, particularly the altiplano. Retinal changes pathognomonic of arteriosclerosis and hypertension were seen in all three ethnic groups and in all three ecologic niches, despite the reputed absence of cardiovascular disease among indigenous Andean peoples.