title: The assessment of cognition in visually impaired older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  visual and cognitive impairments are common in later life. Yet there are very few cognitive screening tests for the visually impaired.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to screen for cognitive impairment in the visually impaired.
  
  
  METHODS
  case-control study including 150 elderly participants with visual impairment (n = 74) and a control group without visual impairment (n = 76) using vision-independent cognitive tests and cognitive screening tests (MMSE and clock drawing tests (CDT)) which are in part vision dependent.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the scoring of the two groups did not differ in the vision-independent cognitive tests. Visually impaired patients performed poorer than controls in the vision-dependent items of the MMSE (T = 7.3; df: 148; P < 0.001) and in CDT (T = 3.1; df: 145; P = 0.003). No group difference was found when vision-independent items were added to MMSE and CDT. The test score gain by the use of vision-independent items correlated with the severity of visual impairment (P < 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  visually impaired patients benefit from cognitive tests, which do not rely on vision. The more visually impaired the greater the benefit.
authors.affiliation: Newcastle University - Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle upon Tyne,  United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Killen
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Firbank
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Collerton
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Joanna Mary
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jefferis
authors.forename: John-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Ian G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: McKeith
authors.forename: Urs Peter
authors.initials: UP
authors.lastname: Mosimann
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000150:complications