Self-reported comorbidities and visual function in a population-based study: the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the association of self-reported systemic and ocular comorbid disease and visual function in Latino subjects.


METHODS
National Eye Institute 25-item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and eye examination data were obtained from 5380 participants in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study, a population-based prevalence study of eye disease in Latino subjects 40 years and older. We developed and contrasted 5 comorbidity measures. One-way analysis of variance was used to assess the association between comorbidity and visual impairment and self-reported visual function. Regression analyses determined the association of sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, and the best measure of comorbidity with the NEI-VFQ-25 composite score. The main outcome measure was self-reported visual function as assessed by the NEI-VFQ-25 composite score.


RESULTS
On average, visual function subscale scores were lowest for those participants with the most systemic comorbid conditions (P<.05). This was more evident in participants with moderate or severe visual impairment compared with those with mild or no visual impairment (P<.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported systemic comorbidities were associated with self-reported visual function. This association was greater at more severe levels of visual impairment. Of the 5 comorbidity measures assessed, the measure that summed the number of self-reported systemic comorbidities correlated most with self-reported visual function.
Globe
Denise R
DR
Department of Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
Varma
Rohit
R
Torres
Mina
M
Wu
Joanne
J
Klein
Ronald
R
Azen
Stanley P
SP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012650:Self Disclosure; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*