Abstract
It has been suggested that functional visual acuity (VA) testing may be able to measure both the visual performance and cognitive ability needed for driving and help to reduce the number of road traffic accidents. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between visual ability and cognitive function in healthy elderly subjects. The study included 34 eyes with a decimal best-corrected visual acuity (VA) ≥1.0 in 34 subjects (16 men, 18 women; mean age 72.7 ± 6.1 [range, 61-83] years) with the same type of monofocal intraocular lens implant. Using the score on the Japanese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) questionnaire, the subjects were divided into a mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group (score <28) and a normal cognition (NC) group (score ≥28). Visual ability was evaluated by functional VA testing. Functional VA was significantly lower in the MCI group (n = 10) than in the NC group (n = 24; P<0.02). There was no significant difference in best-corrected VA between the two groups. High correlations were found between the MMSE score and the logMAR functional VA (r = -0.36, P = 0.04), standard deviation of functional VA (r = -0.39, P = 0.02), and the visual maintenance ratio (r = 0.34, P = 0.048). In summary, despite a good best-corrected VA, deterioration in visual ability was detected in elderly individuals with MCI when measured by the functional VA test. Functional VA could be used to evaluate the integrated visual ability associated with age-related cognitive decline and have applications that help to reduce the disproportionately high rate of road traffic accidents in the elderly.
Highlights
The population is aging in developed countries on a global scale
Subjects were excluded if they had a history of ophthalmic disease affecting vision, such as definite dry eye based on the 2006 Japanese diagnostic criteria, glaucoma, retinal disease, ocular trauma, or intracranial disease, as were those with a physical disorder that interfered with the skills necessary to manipulate the functional visual acuity (VA) test equipment
There were no significant differences in age, best-corrected VA at examination, preoperative VA, Schirmer value, or total higher-order aberrations
Summary
The population is aging in developed countries on a global scale. Japan is experiencing rapid growth of its aged population, with the elderly (aged over 65 years) comprising 28% of the population according to Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data for 2019 [1]. One in four individuals in Japan are elderly, and the normal aging process in this population inevitably causes functional decline in physical ability and memory, potentially hindering the ability to perform everyday tasks. Other authors have no affiliation with any corporation. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for author [KT] but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the Author contributions section
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