Relationship between visual function and cognitive function in the elderly: A cross-sectional observational study

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.