Association between self‐reported eye health and self‐reported general health. Results from the FOREVER questionnaire

Abstract

Aims/Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between self‐reported eye health and general health using questionnaire data collected in the Project FOREVER (Finding Ophthalmic Risk and Evaluating the Value of Eye exams and their predictive Reliability).Methods: A subset of questionnaire responses collected in Project FOREVER from June 2022 to May 11th, 2023, was analysed. Respondents rated their eye health and general on scales from 1 (excellent) to 5 (poor). Spearman's Rank Test and ordinal logistic regression models were employed to assess the correlation and association.Results: The analysis included 42 568 respondents with a mean age of 55.0 (15.0) years, of whom 62.6% were women. Among them, 10% reported having an eye disease, with cataract, glaucoma, and age‐related macular degeneration being the most commonly reported eye diseases. The Spearman's rank test revealed a significant and moderate positive correlation (rho = 0.24) between self‐reported eye health and general health. Moreover, general health showed significant effects across its different levels, with higher ratings associated with an increased likelihood of being in a higher category of eye health. All p‐values for the associations were below 0.05.Conclusions: Our findings indicate a strong association between self‐reported eye health and general health. Higher ratings of general health were linked to an increased likelihood of being in a higher category of eye health, underscoring the importance of considering both aspects in overall health assessments.