Vision health associated with cognitive health

Vision and eye health are critical components of aging and consequently influence cognitive health, Bonnielin Swenor, PhD, MPH, of the Wilmer Eye Institute, said at the Prevent Blindness: Focus on Eye Health National Summit in Washington.

“In this country, in 2019 alone, it’s estimated that we’ll spend about $290 billion caring for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia [ADRD],” Swenor said, adding that the number of people with ADRD will triple by 2050, “an astronomical increase.”

There is a relationship between vision health and cognitive health in older adults, and research is ongoing to define the connection.

“Largely, what has been shown is that older adults with vision impairment and vision loss are at greater risk of dementia, cognitive decline and cognitive impairment,” she said.

The link between vision and cognitive outcomes in older adults, once understood, will help drive development of interventions.

One line of research associates “common concurrent” physiological processes, for example, inflammation, to cause simultaneous vision loss and cognitive decline, Swenor said.

In another pathway, older adults with vision impairment change the way they move, they move less and they change their social interaction habits, putting them at greater risk for depression and anxiety.

“We know that when people move less, have greater rates of depression and less social interaction, those are risk factors for cognitive impairment and dementia,” she said.

It may be possible to leverage interventions to focus on patient’s brain health over the long term, she said.

“The goal is to have older adults with vision impairment age well,” Swenor said.

Reference:

Swenor B. The keystone for independence: low vision, vision loss, and cognitive decline in older adults. Presented at: Prevent Blindness: Focus on Eye Health National Summit; July 17, 2019; Washington.