title: Adjustment to vision loss in a mixed sample of adults with established visual impairment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine factors associated with the level of adjustment to vision loss in a cross-sectional sample of adults with mixed visual impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred participants were administered the Acceptance and Self-Worth Adjustment Scale (AS-WAS) to assess adjustment to vision loss. The severity of vision loss was determined using binocular clinical visual function assessments including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, reading performance, and visual fields. Key demographics including age, duration of visual impairment, general health, education, and living arrangements were evaluated, as were self-reported vision-related activity limitation (VRAL), depression, social support, and personality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multivariate analysis showed that higher levels of depressive symptoms (β = -0.26, P < 0.01) and of the personality trait neuroticism (β = -0.33, P < 0.001), and lower levels of the personality trait of conscientiousness (β = 0.29, P < 0.01), were associated with poorer adjustment to vision loss, explaining 56% variance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adjustment to vision loss is significantly associated with depression and certain traits of personality (specifically neuroticism and conscientiousness), independent of the severity of vision loss, VRAL, and duration of vision loss. The results suggest certain individuals may be predisposed to exhibiting less adjustment to vision loss due to personality characteristics, and exhibit poorer adjustment owing to or as a consequence of depression, rather than due to other factors such as the onset and severity of visual impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Daryl R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Tabrett
authors.forename: Keziah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Latham
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015348:Vision, Binocular; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014794:Visual Fields