Abstract
PurposeTo study the prevalence and incidence of the most common eye diseases and their relation to health-related quality of life (HRQoL), depression, psychological distress, and visual impairment in the aging population of Finland.MethodsOur study was based on two nationwide health surveys conducted in 2000 and 2011. Eye disease status data were obtained from 7379 and 5710 individuals aged 30 + years, of whom 4620 partook in both time points. Both surveys included identical indicators of HRQoL (EuroQol-5 Dimension [EQ-5D], 15D), depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]), psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12 [GHQ-12]), visual acuity, and self-reported eye diseases. We assessed the impact of known eye diseases on these factors, adjusted for age, gender, and co-morbidities.ResultsPrevalence of self-reported eye diseases was 3.1/2.7% for glaucoma, 8.1/11.4% for cataract, and 3.4/3.8% for retinal degeneration in 2000 and 2011, and the average incidence between 2000 and 2011 was 22, 109, and 35 /year/10,000 individuals, respectively. These eye diseases were associated with a significant decrease in EQ-5D and 15D index scores in both time points. BDI and GHQ-12 scores were also worsened, with some variation between different eye diseases. Impaired vision was, however, the strongest determinant of declined HRQoL. During the 11-year follow-up the effect of eye diseases on HRQoL and mental health diminished.ConclusionDeclined HRQoL associated with eye diseases is more related to impaired vision than the awareness of the disease itself, and this declining effect diminished during the follow-up. Therefore, information directed to the public on the risks and prevention of blindness can and should be strengthened to prevent the deleterious effects of visual impairment.
Highlights
The aging population, rising life expectancy, and unfavorable changes in lifestyle, such as unhealthy eating habits and decreased exercise, in developed countries are likely to increase the prevalence of vision-threatening diseases in the future [1,2,3]
The prevalence and incidence of all eye diseases and visual impairment increased with age, and they appeared to be more common in women, in age group 75 + years (Fig. 2)
Individuals with eye diseases and visual impairment have lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL), visual acuity (VA), and worsened mental health compared to individuals without eye diseases and those with good vision
Summary
The aging population, rising life expectancy, and unfavorable changes in lifestyle, such as unhealthy eating habits and decreased exercise, in developed countries are likely to increase the prevalence of vision-threatening diseases in the future [1,2,3]. The most common causes of visual impairment include glaucoma, cataract, and age-related macular degeneration that mainly affect older adults, and inherited retinal diseases affecting young population [4,5,6], the permanent deterioration of visual acuity (VA) caused by cataract can usually be prevented with modern surgery [4, 7]. We aimed to study the prevalence and incidence of glaucoma, cataract, retinal degenerations (RDs), and their relation to decreased VA and visual impairment using data from two cross-sectional surveys and an 11-year longitudinal follow-up study that are representative of the Finnish adult population. We aimed to study their impact on QoL and mental health using generic instruments included in the surveys that assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL), depression, and psychological distress
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