In Brief | Opthalmology
Study reveals vision impairment as a significant contributor to the development of dementia in older adults
Time to read: 01:29
Time to listen: 03:37
Originally Published: 5 September 2024
Sourced: JAMA Ophthalmology
Type of article: In Brief
MedED Catalogue Reference: MOIB0013
Category: Opthalmology
Cross Reference: Neurology, Gerontology
Keywords: dementia, visual impairment, neurology, gerontology
The study found that 19% of dementia cases in older adults are attributable to vision impairments, with contrast sensitivity showing the strongest association. Specifically, 15% of dementia cases were linked to contrast sensitivity impairment, followed by 9.7% from near acuity and 4.9% from distance acuity.
Originally published in JAMA Ophthalmology, 5 September 2024. This summary does not represent the original research, nor is it intended to replace the original research. Content Disclaimer
Vision impairment has emerged as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, yet quantitative data using objective vision measurements remain scarce.
This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the population-attributable fractions (PAFs) of dementia associated with multiple objectively measured vision impairments among older adults.
The research, conducted within the National Health and Aging Trends Study, analysed data from 2,767 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who underwent comprehensive vision and cognitive assessments.
Vision impairments were defined as near and distance visual acuity >0.30 logMAR and contrast sensitivity <1.55 logCS.
Dementia was diagnosed using a standardized algorithm.
Key findings:
- 32.2% of participants aged 71 and older exhibited at least one form of vision impairment.
- The PAF of prevalent dementia associated with at least one vision impairment was 19.0%
- Contrast sensitivity impairment showed the strongest association with dementia (PAF 15.0%), followed by near acuity (9.7%) and distance acuity (4.9%)
- PAFs were highest among individuals aged 71-79 (24.3%,) females (26.8%) and non-Hispanic Whites (22.3%)
This study highlights the significant proportion of dementia cases potentially attributable to vision impairments, ranging from 4.9% to 19.0%.
Notably, contrast sensitivity emerged as the strongest visual predictor of dementia, surpassing traditional visual acuity measures.
While the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, these findings underscore the importance of comprehensive vision assessments in older adults, including contrast sensitivity testing. They also suggest that addressing vision problems could potentially impact dementia prevalence in this population.
For clinicians, these results emphasize the need for regular, multifaceted vision screenings in older patients and prompt consideration of vision rehabilitation when impairments are identified. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to establish causality and evaluate whether vision interventions can indeed mitigate dementia risk.
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