Unilateral Vision Loss in Elderly People in Residential Care: Prevalence, Causes and Impact on Visual Functioning: The Hyderabad Ocular Morbidity in Elderly Study (HOMES)

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence, causes and impact of unilateral visual impairment (UVI) on visual function in the elderly in ‘home for the aged’ in Hyderabad, India. METHODS: Participants aged ≥60 years were recruited from 41 ‘homes for the aged’. All participants had complete eye examinations including visual acuity assessment, refraction, slit-lamp and fundus examination. Unilateral visual impairment (UVI) was defined as presenting VA worse than 6/18 in one eye and presenting VA 6/18 or better in the other eye. Indian Vision Function Questionnaire (INDVFQ) was used for assessing visual functioning. RESULTS: Of the total 1,513 elderly participants enumerated, 1,182 (78.1%) were examined. After excluding 356 participants with VI in the better eye, data were analysed for the remaining 826 participants. The mean age (standard deviation) of these participants was 74.4 ± 8.4 years; 525 (63.6%) were women, and 111 (13.4%) had no schooling. The prevalence of unilateral VI was 38.1% (95% CI: 34.8–41.5; n = 315). Cataract (37.5%; n = 118) was the leading cause of UVI followed by Uncorrected Refractive Error (22.2%; n = 70) and posterior capsular opacification (18.4%; n = 58). The overall INDVFQ score was higher among those with UVI than those without UVI (37.7 versus 34.5; p < .01) suggestive of poor visual functioning. CONCLUSIONS: UVI was common and largely due to avoidable causes among the elderly in residential care with an adverse impact on visual functioning. Screening for vision loss in ‘homes for the aged’ and the provision of appropriate services should become a routine practice to achieve the goal of healthy aging in India.