© 2018 The Authors. The Journal of the
American Geriatrics Society published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on
behalf of The American Geriatrics Society.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15456
Published inJournal of the American Geriatrics Society
eISSN1532-5415
Received20 November 2017
Accepted21 April 2018
Published24 September 2018
Volume66
Issue9
Pages1823
-
1829
Objectives
To determine whether vision impairment is independently associated cross-sectionally and longitudinally with dementia.
Design
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting
English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Participants
Individuals aged 50 and older
Measurements
Cross-sectional association between self-rated vision (poor or
blind, moderate, normal) and dementia was analyzed, adjusting for
potential confounders (sex, wealth, education, cardiovascular risk
factors) using multivariable logistic regression. We also modelled the
adjusted longitudinal association between vision impairment and dementia
over an average of 11 years of follow-up using Cox proportional hazards
regression for individuals aged 50 to 69 and those aged 70 and older.
Results
After adjustment for confounders, participants who rated their
vision as moderate were 2.0 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.4–3.1) times
as likely as those with normal vision to have dementia, and those who
rated their vision as poor were 4.0 (95% CI=2.6–6.1) times as likely.
Longitudinally, individuals aged 50 to 69 who rated their vision as
moderate (1.8, 95% CI=1.0–3.0) or poor (3.6, 95% CI=1.1–11.8) were at
greater risk of developing dementia than those who rated their vision as
normal. There was no significant difference in risk in those aged 70
and older.
Conclusion
Our study confirms and extends findings from other countries,
demonstrating cross-sectional associations between moderate and poor
self-rated vision and dementia in England in all participants aged 50
and older and longitudinally over an 11-year period in those aged 50 to
69. These results help establish vision loss as a risk factor for
dementia, although it is unclear why. Research is needed to determine
whether screening and treatment for vision loss may slow cognitive
decline.