Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Visual impairment is one of the leading causes of functional disability in old age. With increasing life expectancy, it is predicted that the number of people with visual impairment will increase significantly in the near future. This study was conducted to assess visual acuity in older people and to estimate whether possible visual acuity loss is associated with loss of functional capacity or disability. Furthermore, visual impairment as a risk factor for falls, other injurious accidents and mortality was examined. This study was conducted with three existing data sets. Two data sets came from the Evergreen project, which is a multi-disciplinary, longitudinal follow-up study on the health and functional status of residents in Jyväskylä, Finland. The first study population comprised all persons aged 75 years in 1989 and the second all persons aged 80 years in 1990. Both populations were followed-up for 10 years after the baseline measurements. The third data set came from the Finnish Twin Study on Aging (FITSA), which investigates the role of genetic and environmental factors in the disablement process in old age. FITSA is a 3-year longitudinal study consisting of 434 women aged 63 to 76 years at baseline, with post baseline fall surveillance for one year and follow-up measurements at three years. We found that among relatively healthy women aged 63-76, visual impairment correlated with decreased knee extension strength, leg extension power, maximal walking speed and standing balance. In addition, visual impairment increased the risk of falls (including injurious falls) when accompanied with hearing and balance impairments. Furthermore, we found that among persons aged 75 and 80 at the baseline, lowered vision was a risk factor for injurious accidents in the 10-year follow-up. Poor vision also predicted mortality in the 75-year-old population. Visual impairment has a profound effect on multiple health outcomes and functional disability, and therefore should be taken into consideration when aiming to slow down the progression of the disablement process in old age.
Author: Jenni Kulmala
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W212458254