Five-year outcome of correctable visual impairment: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.
This report aims to describe the outcome and socio-economic characteristics of older persons attending the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) with persistent correct-able visual impairment (VI). The BMESI examined 3654 persons aged 49+ during 1992-1994 and re-examined 2335 survivors during 1997-1999 (BMES II). Visual acuity was measured before and after standardized refraction. Participants had correctable VI if their better eye was visually impaired <6/12 before refraction (with distance glasses if worn) and was unimpaired after refraction. In BMES I,274 persons (7.5%) had correctable VI, of whom 127 returned to BMES II. Of this group of 127, 34 had persistent correctable VI and 74 were no longer impaired. Fewer persons with correctable VI returned and more died prior to BMES II, compared to persons with no or non-correctable VI. This study showed that persistent correctable impairment was more frequent with increasing age, among women, in those living alone, using community support services,or with a history of heart disease.
Foran
Suriya
S
Department of Ophthalmology, Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Hospital, and the Westmead Millennium and Save Sight Institutes, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Rose
Kathryn
K
Wang
Jie Jin
JJ
Thiagalingam
Sureka
S
Mitchell
Paul
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014792:Visual Acuity; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*