Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Mar 1;41(3):117-136.
doi: 10.1080/01658107.2017.1279640. eCollection 2017 Jun.

Health Inequalities Associated with Post-Stroke Visual Impairment in the United Kingdom and Ireland: A Systematic Review

K L Hanna  1 , F J Rowe  1
Affiliations
Review

Health Inequalities Associated with Post-Stroke Visual Impairment in the United Kingdom and Ireland: A Systematic Review

K L Hanna et al. Neuroophthalmology. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to report on the health inequalities facing stroke survivors with visual impairments as described in the current literature. A systemic review of the literature was conducted to investigate the potential health inequalities facing stroke survivors with subsequent visual impairments. A quality-of-evidence and risk-of-bias assessment was conducted for each of the included articles using the appropriate tool dependent on the type of article. Only four articles discussed health inequalities affecting stroke survivors with visual impairment specifically. A further 23 articles identified health inequalities after stroke, and 38 reported on health inequalities within the visually impaired UK or Irish population. Stroke survivors with visual impairment face inconsistency in eye care provision nationally, along with variability in the assessment and management of visual disorders. The subgroups identified as most at risk were females; black ethnicity; lower socioeconomic status; older age; and those with lower education attainment. The issue of inconsistent service provision for this population must be addressed in future research. Further research must be conducted in order to firmly establish whether or not stroke survivors are at risk of the aforementioned sociodemographic and economic inequalities.

Keywords: Health inequalities; stroke; vision impairment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart of pathway for inclusion of articles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hepworth LR, Rowe FJ, Walker MF, Rockliffe J, Noonan C, Howard C, Currie J. Post-stroke visual impairment: a systematic literature review of types and recovery of visual conditions. Ophthalmol Res 2016;5:1–43.
    1. Rowe FJ, Walker M, Rockliffe J, Pollock A, Noonan C, Howard C, Hepworth L, Glendinning R, Currie J. Care provision and unmet needs for post stroke visual impairment; United Kingdom: The Stroke Association and Thomas Pocklington Trust, 2013:1–48.
    1. Scarborough P, Peto V, Bhatnagar P, Kaur A, Leal J, Luengo-Fernandez R, Gray A, Rayner M, Alleder S. Stroke Statistics. Oxford, UK: University of Oxford: Department of Public Health; 2009:1–107
    1. Lynch JW, Kaplan GA, Salonen JT.. Why do poor people behave poorly? Variation in adult health behaviours and psychosocial characteristics by stages of the socioeconomic lifecourse. Soc Sci Med 1997;44:809–819. - PubMed
    1. Access Economics Limited Future Sight Loss UK 1: Economic Impact of Partial Sight and Blindness in the UK Adult Population. London, UK: The Royal National Institute of Blind People; 2009.

LinkOut - more resources