[Association between socioeconomic status and vision impairment among Chinese elderly]

To assess the association between socioeconomic status and vision impairment (Ⅵ) among Chinese elderly aged 65 years and above, and explore its comparison and contrast from 2008 to 2018.

Using the 2008 and 2018 waves of cross-sectional data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), which included 12970 and 9702 participants, respectively. Logistic regression models with a stepwise forward approach were employed to assess the association between the household income, educated level, job before retirement and Ⅵ.

In 2008, the prevalence of Ⅵ among the elderly aged 65 years and above in China was 16.92% (95%CI: 15.91%-17.98%), which increased to 18.45% (95%CI: 17.41%-19.53%) in 2018. In terms of household income, the highest and upper middle income groups had lower odds of Ⅵ compared with the lowest one in 2008. By 2018, only the upper middle had lower odds (OR=0.761, 95%CI: 0.603-0.961), with its disparity narrowing compared with 2008. For educated level, in 2008, individuals with primary school education, and those with junior high school education or above had lower odds of Ⅵ compared with illiterate individuals. By 2018, the disparity in Ⅵ between the illiterate individuals and those with primary school education widened, while the gap between the illiterate ones and those with junior high school education or above decreased. In addition, after controlling for other factors, the odds of Ⅵ for the individuals educated by junior high school and above was higher than for those educated by primary school (OR=0.691, 95%CI: 0.533-0.896; OR=0.592, 95%CI: 0.494-0.708). Regarding job before retirement, in 2008, compared with the professional, technical or managerial personnel, those engaged in agriculture or domestic work had higher odds of Ⅵ. In 2018, this disparity persisted (OR=1.707, 95%CI: 1.319-2.210; OR=1.925, 95%CI: 1.310-2.829), with the gaps widening compared with the reference group.

The prevalence of Ⅵ among Chinese elderly increased from 2008 to 2018, with socioeconomic status, specifically household income, educated level, and job before retirement, demonstrating associations with Ⅵ. To be specific, the gap in the odds of Ⅵ across household income strata decreased from 2008 to 2018; disparities among different educated levels generally diminished, while the gap between illiterate individuals and ones educated by primary school widened; and job-before-retirement groups exhibited expanding disparities over time.