Relationship between visual function and cognitive function in the elderly: A cross-sectional observational study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Gerontology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Functional visual acuity (VA) testing is proposed as a tool to assess visual performance and cognitive function relevant to driving.
• Elderly drivers are at a higher risk of road traffic accidents, necessitating methods to evaluate their integrated visual and cognitive capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between visual ability and cognitive function in healthy elderly subjects.
• To determine if functional VA testing can detect visual impairments associated with cognitive decline in older adults.

Main Methods:

• 34 elderly subjects with best-corrected VA ≥1.0 were divided into mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and normal cognition (NC) groups based on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores.
• Visual ability was assessed using functional VA testing, and results were compared between the MCI and NC groups.
• Correlations between MMSE scores and functional VA parameters (logMAR functional VA, standard deviation of functional VA, visual maintenance ratio) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Functional VA was significantly lower in the MCI group compared to the NC group (P<0.02).
• No significant difference in best-corrected VA was observed between the two groups.
• Significant correlations were found between MMSE scores and functional VA measures, indicating a link between cognitive status and visual performance.

Conclusions:

• Functional VA testing can detect visual ability deterioration in elderly individuals with MCI, even when best-corrected VA is normal.
• Functional VA testing may serve as a valuable tool for evaluating integrated visual and cognitive function in aging populations.
• This assessment holds potential applications in reducing road traffic accidents among the elderly by identifying individuals at risk due to age-related cognitive and visual decline.