Impact of Low Vision on Wound Healing in Patients With Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia

Low vision is often observed in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) and tissue loss. However, the impact of low vision on wound healing in these patients has not been previously described. We aimed to investigate the relationship between low vision and the wound healing rate in CLTI patients with tissue loss.

A total of 74 CLTI patients with de novo tissue loss who underwent endovascular therapy between January 2017 and December 2022 was enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the National Eye Institute's criteria for low vision: a low vision group with 24 patients, and a normal vision group with 50 patients. The primary endpoint was the 2-year wound healing rate. The rates of diabetes and renal disease requiring hemodialysis were significantly higher in the low vision group. The 2-year wound healing rate was significantly lower in the low vision group than in the normal vision group (33.3% vs 76.0%; P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, low vision showed an independent association with wound healing outcomes.

The wound healing rate was lower in CLTI patients with low vision than in those without low vision. Low vision should be considered a factor associated with wound healing outcomes in CLTI patients.