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Visual acuity changes throughout adulthood in normal, healthy eyes: seeing beyond 6/6
D B Elliott1, K C Yang, D Whitaker
1Centre for Sight Enhancement, School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Summary
Visual acuity (VA) in healthy eyes improves slightly in young adulthood then gradually declines with age. This study redefines normal VA ranges, showing better-than-expected vision in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Optometry
- Gerontology
Background:
- Age-related visual acuity changes are well-documented, but few studies focus on normal, healthy eyes.
- Existing norms may not accurately reflect optimal visual function in healthy aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate age-related changes in visual acuity (VA) in a cohort of normal, healthy eyes.
- To establish updated normative data for visual acuity across different age groups.
- To highlight the limitations of current VA norm values.
Main Methods:
- Collated data from previous studies and added new data from 42 subjects, totaling 223 participants (ages 18-80).
- Utilized logMAR charts for VA measurements, ensuring nontruncated data.
- Employed strict exclusion criteria to ensure only subjects with healthy eyes were included and used optimal refractive correction.
Main Results:
- Mean logMAR VA improved from -0.13 (6/4.5) in 18-24 year olds to -0.16 (6/4(-1)) in 25-29 year olds.
- VA gradually worsened with age, reaching -0.02 (6/6+1) in individuals over 75.
- Observed VA levels superior to established reference data (Pitts, Weale).
Conclusions:
- The standard norm of 6/6 for visual acuity is inadequate for healthy eyes.
- Optimal refractive correction and logMAR charts provide more accurate VA assessments in healthy individuals.
- Age-related VA decline in healthy eyes may be less pronounced than previously suggested by older reference data.