title: Presence of Vision Impairment and Risk of Hospitalization among Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries.
abstract: To examine the association between vision impairment and all-cause hospitalization among elderly Medicare beneficiaries.
  
  
  
  A population-based study (N = 22,681) of community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older who participated in the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey for the years 2001-2007. Beneficiaries were classified into self-reported presence of vision impairment versus no vision impairment. Inpatient hospitalizations were identified using Medicare claims data. A multivariable Cox proportional hazard model examined the association between presence of vision impairment and time to first hospitalization within 3 years of survey entry after adjusting for sociodemographics, comorbidities, hearing impairment, and activity limitation stages derived from difficulty performing the activities of daily living.
  
  
  
  Medicare beneficiaries who self-reported the presence of vision impairment were significantly more likely to be hospitalized over 3 years compared to beneficiaries without vision impairment even after adjustment for potentially influential covariates (hazard ratio = 1.14 and 95% confidence interval: 1.05-1.23).
  
  
  
  Medicare beneficiaries with self-reported vision impairment were at higher risk of hospitalization during a 3-year period. Further research may identify reasons that are amenable to policy interventions.
authors.affiliation: a Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Sila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bal
authors.affiliation: a Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Jibby E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kurichi
authors.affiliation: a Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Pui L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Kwong
authors.affiliation: a Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: a Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.|b Center for Pharmacoepidemiology Research and Training, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hennessy
authors.affiliation: a Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Na
authors.affiliation: c Department of Medicine , Medical College of Wisconsin , Milwaukee , WI , USA.
authors.forename: Liliana E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Pezzin
authors.affiliation: d Geriatric Psychiatry Section of the Department of Psychiatry , Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, and VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Joel E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Streim
authors.affiliation: a Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.|e Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Hillary R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Bogner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Access to care; Medicare; disability; elderly; hospitalization; visual disorders