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Vision impairment linked to functional limitations from cognitive decline
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Analysis of data from an annual state-based survey found that adults with vision impairment were 3.5 times more likely to report functional limitations related to subjective cognitive decline, according to a report published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“Vision impairment is associated with social isolation, disability and decreased quality of life,” study author Sharon Saydah, PhD, of the CDC, told Primary Care Optometry News in an interview. “Recent CDC research finds a strong association between vision impairment and self-reported cognitive decline. Cognitive decline can result in functional limitations, especially those related to usual daily activities.”
The study collected data from 2015 to 2017 using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a telephone survey of non-institutionalized adults. Response rates among states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were a median of 45.7%, with 208,601 adults 45 years and older completing the optional cognitive decline model.
Respondents were classified as having subjective cognitive decline (SCD) if they responded affirmatively to a question regarding increasing confusion and memory loss in the past 12 months. Functional limitations were determined if the respondent felt that confusion and memory loss affected their ability to complete household tasks and activities outside the home. Vision impairment was defined as blindness or serious difficulty seeing, even with glasses.
Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between SCD-related functional limitations and vision impairment, adjusting for covariates including age, sex, education level, race/ethnicity, smoking status and health insurance status.
The study found that 18% of adults 45 years old and older who reported vision impairment also reported SCD-related limitations vs. 4% of those without vision impairment. Vision impairment among respondents was 6.2%, and the prevalence of SCD with functional limitations was 5.5%. The prevalence of vision impairment and SCD-related functional limitations was higher among adults with less than a high school diploma (4.1%) who were current smokers (3.6%) and who did not have health insurance (3%) than for college graduates (04%), those who had never smoked (0.9%) and those who had health insurance (1.4%).
“Interventions aimed at addressing vision impairment through corrective treatment or prevention may reduce functional limitations associated with cognitive decline in the population,” Saydah wrote. – by Julia Lowndes
Disclosures: Researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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