This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Risk of perceived discrimination higher in visually impaired older adults
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Older adults who are visually impaired are at an increased risk of experiencing perceived discrimination in many areas of life, according to findings published in the JAMA Ophthalmology.
Data was collected from 7,677 participants (age 50 years and older) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Each participant self-rated their eyesight as being either poor (rated as fair, poor or blind) or good (good, very good or excellent).
The participants’ experiences of perceived discrimination were recorded from July 2010 to June 2011. Factors such as depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, quality of life and loneliness were also assessed in the study. Researchers used logistic regression to examine the differences in participants who reported having good eyesight in comparison to those who reported having bad eyesight along with cross-sectional and prospective association between perceived discrimination and well-being for those with poor eyesight.
The results showed that participants with poor eyesight were more likely to experience perceived discrimination than participants with good eyesight (P < .001). Increased chances of depressive symptoms (P < .001), loneliness (P < .001), lower quality of life (P < .001) and life satisfaction (P < .001) were evident in those who reported having poor eyesight and experiencing discrimination.
Lighthouse Guild President and CEO Alan R. Morse, JD, PhD, discussed the study in an accompanying commentary.
“The association between vision loss and depression is a complex conundrum,” he said. “Despite well-documented evidence of an increase in the prevalence of depression among individuals with vision loss, depression screening by eye care practitioners remains uncommon. It’s time for a change. Depression, regardless of its cause, has a negative impact on quality of life and functional ability and should always be addressed.” – by Alexandria Brooks
Reference:
Morse AR. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2019;doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2019.1234.
Disclosures: Jackson and colleagues report no relevant financial disclosures. Morse reports no relevant financial disclosures.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts