Consequences Of Visual Impairment Research Articles

The multiple mediating effects of vision-specific factors and depression on the association between visual impairment severity and fatigue: a path analysis study

BackgroundSevere fatigue is a common symptom for people with visual impairment, with a detrimental effect on emotional functioning, cognition, work capacity and activities of daily living. A previous study found that depression was one of the most important determinants of fatigue, but less is known about disease-specific factors in this patient population. This study aimed to explore the association between visual impairment severity and fatigue in adults with low vision, both directly and indirectly, with vision-specific factors and depression as potential mediators.MethodsCross-sectional data were collected from 220 Dutch low vision service patients by telephone interviews. Fatigue was defined as a latent variable by severity and impact on daily life. Potential mediators included vision-related symptoms, adaptation to vision loss and depression. Hypothesized structural equation models were constructed in Mplus to test (in)direct effects of visual impairment severity (mild/moderate, severe, blindness) on fatigue through above mentioned variables.ResultsThe final model explained 60% of fatigue variance and revealed a significant total effect of visual impairment severity on fatigue. Patients with severe visual impairment (reference group) had significantly higher fatigue symptoms compared to those with mild/moderate visual impairment (β = -0.50, 95% bias-corrected confidence interval [BC CI] [-0.86, -0.16]) and those with blindness (β = -0.44, 95% BC CI [-0.80, -0.07]). Eye strain & light disturbance, depression and vision-related mobility mediated the fatigue difference between the severe and mild/moderate visual impairment categories. The fatigue difference between the severe visual impairment and blindness categories was solely explained by eye strain & light disturbance. Moreover, depressive symptoms (β = 0.65, p < 0.001) and eye strain & light disturbance (β = 0.19, p = 0.023) were directly associated with fatigue independent of visual impairment severity.ConclusionsOur findings indicate an inverted-U shaped relationship between visual impairment severity and fatigue in patients with low vision. The complexity of this relationship is likely explained by the consequences of visual impairment, in particular by strained eyes and depressive mood, rather than by severity of the disability itself.

Objektivni indikatori kvaliteta života kod osoba s različitim vidnim statusom

Quality of life is a broad and complex construct. World Health Organization refers to it as an "individual's perception of their position in life (…) in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns". Reduced visual functions have a negative impact on the overall individual's functioning. Difficulties in accessing visual information and problems in orientation and mobility create significant limitations in performing daily activities and lead to diminished opportunities for education, work, social participation, and leisure. Limited participation in the aforementioned areas with lower social interactions have a negative impact on the individual's quality of life. However, it is unclear whether this construct of people with visual impairment is compromised due to reduced ability to perform daily activities or due to difficulties in establishing social interactions. Objectives. In an effort to indicate the consequences of visual impairment on quality of life, the goal of this research was to determine the objective quality of life in adults with different visual status when controlling the age. Methods. The Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate the quality of life. The sample consisted of 175 people - 92 participants with visual impairment and 83 participants without structural or functional problems in the visual system. Results. Results of eight one-way ANCOVAs indicated a significant effect of visual status on Objective quality of life in total (p &lt; .001) and on its four domains: Material well-being, Health, Productivity, Place in Community. Conclusion. The effects of different visual status on the observed construct revealed when age as a variable is controlled.

Prevalence and Consequences of Perceived Vision Difficulty in Aging Adults with HIV Infection

Despite well-known ocular complications of HIV-related immune suppression, few studies have examined the prevalence and consequences of visual impairment among aging long-term survivors of HIV. Retrospective cohort study. Aging HIV-infected (HIV+) men who have sex with men (MSM) and HIV-uninfected (HIV-) MSM controls reported their difficulty performing 6 vision-dependent tasks (difficulty defined as: no, a little, moderate, and extreme difficulty). Relationships were examined using logistic regression, regressing each outcome separately on categorical visual function responses, with missing data multiply imputed. There were 634 age-matched pairs for a total sample of 1,268 MSM of 1,700 MSM with available data. The median age was 60 years old (interquartile range [IQR], 54, 66), and 23% were African American. Among HIV+ men, 95% were virally suppressed (viral load <400 copies/mL). HIV+ men were more likely to report moderate or extreme difficulty performing at least 1 task (21% for HIV+ compared to 13% for HIV-; P < .01). Participants reporting extreme vision-related difficulty performing at least 1 task had 11.2 times the odds of frailty (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2-23.9), 2.6 times the odds of a slow gait speed (95% CI, 1.4-4.8), and 3.2 times the odds of impaired instrumental activities of daily living (95% CI: 1.6-6.3) compared to those reporting no vision-related difficulty on any task. Perceived vision difficulty was more common among older HIV+ MSM than age-matched HIV- MSM controls and was associated with higher risk of depression and physical function loss among MSM.

The E3 consortium – European eye epidemiology

SummaryThe European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium is a recently formed consortium of 32 groups from 13 European countries. It already comprises more than 40 studies (population‐based, case‐control, cases only, randomized trials), providing ophthalmological data on more than 170,000 European participants. The aim of the consortium is to promote and sustain collaboration and sharing of data and knowledge in the field of ophthalmic epidemiology in Europe, with particular focus on the harmonization of methods for future research, estimation and projection of frequency and impact of visual outcomes in European populations (including temporal trends and European subregions), identification of risk factors and pathways for eye diseases and development and validation of prediction models for eye diseases. Coordinating these existing data will allow a detailed study of the risk factors and consequences of visual impairment and eye diseases, including study of international geographical variation which is not possible in individual studies. Most studies also include biobanks of various biological samples, which will enable identification of biomarkers to detect and predict occurrence and progression of eye diseases.

Consequences of visual impairment on leisure activities of the elderly: Elders with vision impairment need additional information and assistance to achieve adaptation in the area of vision and vision-related tasks.

Consequences of visual impairment on leisure activities of the elderly: Elders with vision impairment need additional information and assistance to achieve adaptation in the area of vision and vision-related tasks.