title: Psycho-social impact of visual impairment on health-related quality of life among nursing home residents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Visual impairment (VI) affects physical, psychological, and emotional well-being, and social life as well. The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the psycho-social impact of VI on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among nursing home residents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study involved 272 residents of 60 years or older residing in seven nursing homes of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Comprehensive ocular examinations, including near and distance vision assessment and refractions were carried out. VI was defined as visual acuity (VA) less than 6/18 in the better eye. Residents were divided into two groups: one group did not have VI (in whom VA was greater than or equal to 6/18 in the better eye), and the other had VI (in whom VA was worse than 6/18 in the better eye).Face-to-face interviews were conducted filling out a 36-item The Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form (SF-36) questionnaire. The SF-36 questionnaire was scored according to the scoring algorithm SF-36 subscales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of residents was 74.68 ± 8.19 years (range, 60-99 years) and the majority were female (78.68%). The mean composite score of SF-36 was 46.98 ± 13.08. VI detrimentally affected scores of both the physical and the mental components, but the impact of VI was slightly greater for the physical component than that for the mental component. There was a trend towards a lower composite score as well as each subscale score of the SF-36 in participants with VI than in those without VI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VI has a negative effect on HRQoL. HRQoL is reduced among nursing home residents and the reduction in the HRQoL bears a positive association with VI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Medicine, B, P, Koirala Lions Center for Ophthalmic Studies, Tribhuvan University, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal. maheshdev2002@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mahesh Kumar
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Dev
authors.forename: Nabin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paudel
authors.forename: Niraj Dev
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: Dev Narayan
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Shishir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Subba
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011788:Quality of Life; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*