title: Clinical and Economic Burden of Visual Impairment in an Aging Society of South Korea.
abstract: Whereas the incidence of visual impairment and blindness (VI&B) is decreasing, the total number of VI&B is increasing due to the growth of elderly population. To compare the clinical and economic outcomes of patients with and without VI&B (ie, cases and controls) in Korea, a case-control study was performed using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patients Sample data. Cases had higher prevalence for all of the Charlson Comorbidity Index components, depression, fracture, and injury as well as eye diseases compared to age- and sex-matched controls. In regression after adjustment of concomitant diseases, cases had 2.7 times (95% confidence interval = 2.3-3.2) higher medical expenditure than controls. The results of this study confirm that patients with VI&B have significantly higher direct medical expenditures and concomitant diseases than those without VI&B and highlight the need for a public health strategy to reduce potentially avoidable costs attributed to VI&B.
authors.affiliation: Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hae-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunnam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Incheon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Incheon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hankil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea jwkwon@knu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jin-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: blindness; case–control study; concomitant diseases; medical costs; visual impairment