Vision loss may up cognitive decline-related functional limitations

(HealthDay)—Vision impairment is associated with increased subjective cognitive decline (SCD)-related functional limitations for adults aged 45 years and older, according to research published in the May 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Sharon Saydah, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues describe the correlation between vision impairment and SCD-related functional limitations using data from the 2015 to 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys.

The researchers found that 18 percent of adults aged ≥45 years who reported vision impairment also reported SCD-related functional limitations compared with 4 percent of those without visual impairment, after adjustment for age group, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, health insurance, and smoking status.

"Having vision impairment might increase the likelihood that persons with SCD report related functional limitations," the authors write. "Addressing vision impairment through prevention or corrective treatment might reduce functional SCD-associated limitations in the adult population."