Vision Impairment and Subjective Cognitive Decline-Related Functional Limitations - United States, 2015-2017

Abstract

Vision impairment affects approximately 3.22 million persons in the United States and is associated with social isolation, disability, and decreased quality of life (1). Cognitive decline is more common in adults with vision impairment (2,3). Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), which is the self-reported experience of worsening or more frequent confusion or memory loss within the past 12 months, affects 11.2% of adults aged ≥45 years in the United States (4). One consequence of SCD is the occurrence of functional limitations, especially those related to usual daily activities; however, it is not known whether persons with vision impairment are more likely to have functional limitations related to SCD (4). This report describes the association of vision impairment and SCD-related functional limitations using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys for the years 2015-2017. Adjusting for age group, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, health insurance, and smoking status, 18% of adults aged ≥45 years who reported vision impairment also reported SCD-related functional limitations, compared with only 4% of those without vision impairment. Preventing, reducing, and correcting vision impairments might lead to a decrease in SCD-related functional limitations among adults in the United States.

FIGURE

Adjusted percentage of subjective cognitive decline (SCD)–related functional limitations among adults aged ≥45 years, by demographic characteristics, smoking status, and vision impairment — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 49 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, 2015–2017 Abbreviation: HS = high school. * Adjusted prevalence based on predicted marginal from logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, health insurance status, and vision impairment. ^† Excluding Pennsylvania.