Association of Visual Acuity and Self-Reported Vision Status With Physical, Social, and Cognitive/Psychological...

This study examined the association of visual acuity and self-reported vision status with physical, social, and cognitive/psychological frailty in older adults.

This cross-sectional study included participants aged ≥ 65 years with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) from the Japan Multimodal Intervention Trial for Prevention of Dementia. The outcome measures included physical (gait speed, hand grip strength, fall risk, nutritional status, appetite, dietary diversity, oral frailty, sleep quality), social (social frailty and social network), and cognitive/psychological components of frailty (neuropsychological scores and depressive symptoms). Visual acuity was measured using the Logarithm of the Minimal Angle of Resolution (LogMAR) in the better-seeing eye. Self-reported vision was assessed through a single item from the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations of various frailty components with visual acuity and self-reported vision status.

Among 270 participants (mean LogMAR: 0.0 ± 0.1, 61.9% reported good vision). Visual acuity was not linked to any frailty component. However, better self-reported vision was associated with lower fall risk, higher appetite and dietary diversity, better sleep quality, reduced social frailty, fewer depressive symptoms, and improved cognitive function.

Self-reported vision status may be a more relevant indicator than visual acuity for assessing frailty in older adults with MCI.