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Visual impairment and ten-year mortality: the Liwan Eye Study
Lanhua Wang1, Zhuoting Zhu1,2, Jane Scheetz3
1State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Eye (London, England)
|October 20, 2020
Summary
Visual impairment (VI) significantly increases 10-year mortality risk in older adults. Non-correctable VI poses a higher mortality risk, highlighting the need for ocular disease prevention and treatment to improve survival rates.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Gerontology
- Public Health
Background:
- Visual impairment (VI) is a growing concern in aging populations.
- Understanding the link between VI and mortality is crucial for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between visual impairment and mortality in an urban Chinese adult population.
- To differentiate the mortality risks associated with correctable versus non-correctable VI.
Main Methods:
- Population-based study in Guangzhou, China (Liwan Eye Study).
- 10-year follow-up of baseline participants (2003).
- Visual acuity assessed using standard measures; mortality compared using Cox regression.
Main Results:
- 22.9% of participants had VI; 22.4% died over 10 years.
- VI was associated with significantly increased 10-year mortality (40.0% vs. 17.2%).
- Non-correctable VI independently predicted poorer survival (HR, 2.72), while correctable VI did not.
Conclusions:
- Visual impairment, especially non-correctable VI, is a significant predictor of poorer survival in older adults.
- Preventing and treating causes of disabling visual impairment may reduce premature mortality in the elderly.
