Visual impairment and depression in China: a 7-year follow-up study from national longitudinal surveys

OBJECTIVES: To explore the longitudinal association between visual impairment (VI) and depression among adults 45 years and older in China based on a nationally representative follow-up dataset. SETTING: Participants in China from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were included. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 6748 participants from two waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2011–2018 were included for analysis by age group. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: VI and depression were defined by self-diagnosis and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10, respectively. Lagged dependent variable regression models with ordinary least squares estimation were used to evaluate the association between VI and depression. Age was divided into three groups, that is, 45–54, 55–64, and 65 years and older, to explore the relationship between VI and depression in different age groups. RESULTS: In our study sample, VI remarkably predicted an increase in depressive scores. The magnitude of depressive scores increased among those with VI points greater than 3.517 (β=3.517; 95% CI=2.697 to 4.331) points than those without VI in the 7-year follow-up. Significant relationships were also found between VI and depression in the three age groups in the sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: VI was associated with an increase in depression scores over a 7-year period. Female respondents, low educational attainment and high alcohol intake significantly predicted an increase in depressive status.