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U.K. elderly have highest visual impairment in Europe
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LONDON — Many elderly people in the United Kingdom have impaired vision, even with their corrective lenses, a large-scale study here found. In addition, the prevalence of impaired vision in this large sample — 12.4% of people over age 75 — is higher than in other European countries, the United States or Australia, study authors wrote.
Researchers here with Moorfields Eye Hospital analyzed data from 14,600 people. Of the group, 1,803 were visually impaired, 1,501 were categorized as having low vision (binocular visual acuity from less than 6/18 to 3/60) and 302 were blind (binocular visual acuity less than 3/60). Overall, 19.9% of study participants had a binocular acuity of less than 6/12.
The researchers added that if the U.S. definition of visual impairment had been used (less than 6/12), the age-specific prevalence estimates would have increased by 60%.
The study was published in the June issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology.