Mortality and ocular parameters and diseases

To assess associations between mortality and major ocular parameters and diseases.

The population-based Ural Eye and Medical Study (UEMS) and Ural Very Old Study (UVOS) included 5899 individuals (age: 40+ years) and 1526 individuals (age: 85+ years), respectively. Cause-specific mortality was determined using the government regional information and analytical system.

In the UEMS, 689 (11.7%) participants had died during the follow-up of 7.0 ± 0.4 years (median: 6.9 years). Higher death occurrence was associated (multivariable analysis) with lower best corrected visual acuity (OR: 1.86; 95%CI:1.10, 2.68) and higher prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (OR: 2.97; 95%CI: 1.68, 5.26), with adjusting for older age (OR: 1.08), male sex (OR: 4.18), higher waist-hip ratio (OR: 5.53), current smoking (OR: 2.25), history of cancer (OR: 1.93) and dementia (OR: 2.54), higher serum concentration of glucose (OR: 1.13) and lower serum concentration of high-density lipoproteins (OR: 0.89) and haemoglobin (OR: 0.99), higher leucocyte count (OR: 1.07), higher prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR: 1.67), higher stage of arterial hypertension (OR: 1.15), and higher depression score (OR: 1.04). Death occurrence was not significantly associated with prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (P = 0.90), macular reticular pseudodrusen (P = 0.90), open-angle glaucoma (P = 0.11), angle-closure glaucoma (P = 0.98), nuclear cataract (P = 0.07), cortical cataract (P = 0.46), axial length (P = 0.44) and intraocular pressure (P = 0.87). In the UVOS, 791 (51.9%) participants had died during the follow-up of 4.8 ± 1.0 years (median: 5.2 years). None of the ophthalmological parameters was significantly associated with death occurrence.

Diabetic retinopathy was the only major ophthalmic disease or parameter, in addition to vision impairment, which was associated with an increased death risk.