The association between low vision and function.
OBJECTIVE
This study considers the relationship between low vision and function, specifically exploring whether vision loss is differentially associated with activities of daily living (ADL) versus instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability.


METHODS
Guided by the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health framework, multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed for IADL and ADL on a sample of 9,115 adults aged 65 years and above from the 1998 Health and Retirement study.


RESULTS
The data supports the fact that ADL and IADL disabilities are associated with vision loss, and there is a differential relationship among functions, with IADLs being more challenging and requiring better visual abilities.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings provide evidence that ADL and IADLs require different skills and are associated differently depending on numerous variables. As the incidence of people living with vision loss is increasing to epidemic proportions due to an aging population, understanding the relationship between vision and participation in meaningful activities has important implications.
Berger
Sue
S
Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA. sueb@bu.edu
Porell
Frank
F
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D016015:Logistic Models; D015354:Vision, Low; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology