Background: Tractable but undetected visual impairment in older people may be relatively common, particularly amongst the very old and in more deprived populations. Measurement of visual acuity is unlikely to be helpful in identifying this impairment, but targeted assessment of visual function may be beneficial. There is uncertainty about the defining characteristics of the target group.
Objective: To explore factors associated with self-reported visual impairment in community dwelling older people.
Design: secondary cross sectional analysis of baseline data from a randomised controlled trial.
Setting: three large group practices in outer London.
Participants: older people aged 65 and over enrolled in a study of health risk appraisal.
Method: postal questionnaire using questions from the National Eye Institute Visual Function questionnaire.
Results: Moderate or extreme visual function loss occurred in 4 to 12% of community-dwelling older people in this population reporting less than excellent vision, depending on which aspect of visual function is considered. Visual function loss in this subgroup increases in prevalence with advancing age, but is not associated with female sex, low educational attainment or low income. It is associated with depressed mood.
Conclusion: Questions about visual function identify a group of older people whose vision and mental state needs further investigation.