Treatment of uncorrected refractive error improves vision-specific quality of life.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the benefit of eyeglasses and magnifiers in elderly patients with uncorrected refractive errors.


METHODS
A single-center, randomized, prospective, controlled trial (September 2001 to August 2003).


METHODS
Los Angeles County, California.


METHODS
One hundred thirty-one community-dwelling persons aged 65 and older who had habitual distance visual acuity of 20/32 or worse and whose distant visual acuity, near visual acuity, or both could be improved with eyeglasses, a magnifier, or both by two lines of acuity or more.


METHODS
Sixty-six were randomized to receive a prescription and voucher for free eyeglasses, a magnifier, or both immediately, and 65 were randomized to receive a prescription and voucher after the 3-month follow-up visit (the control group).


METHODS
Primary outcome was vision-specific functioning as measured using the 25-item National Eye Institute-Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ). Secondary outcomes were distance and near visual acuity and overall functioning as measured using the Rosow-Breslau function questionnaire.


RESULTS
In the intention-to-treat analysis of 3-month follow-up data, participants who received the eyeglasses prescription and voucher immediately had greater improvement in NEI-VFQ composite scores than the control group (P<.01). They also had greater improvement in perceptions of their general vision (P<.01), distance visual acuity (P=.03), near visual acuity (P=.04), and mental health (P=.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Correction of uncorrected refractive error, one of the leading causes of visual impairment in older people, improved the vision-specific quality of life of community-dwelling older persons.
Coleman
Anne L
AL
Department of Ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, 100 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. coleman@jsei.ucla.edu
Yu
Fei
F
Keeler
Emmett
E
Mangione
Carol M
CM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055656:Prescriptions; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*