FRIDAY, July 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) — All types of visual impairment (VI) and contrast sensitivity (CS) are associated with increased prevalence of dementia in U.S. older adults, according to a study published online July 13 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Olivia J. Killeen, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues estimated the association between VI and dementia in older U.S. adults based on objective visual and cognitive function testing in a secondary analysis of the 2021 National Health and Aging Trends Study. Data were included for 2,967 participants, with a median age of 76.9 years.

The researchers found that the weighted prevalence of dementia was 12.3 percent; prevalence increased with near VI (21.5 percent), distance VI (mild: 19.1 percent; moderate, severe, or blind: 32.9 percent), and CS impairment (25.9 percent). After adjustment for covariates, the prevalence of dementia was higher for those with near VI and CS impairment compared with those without (prevalence ratios, 1.40 and 1.31 for near VI and CS impairment, respectively) and among those with moderate-to-severe distance VI or blindness (prevalence ratio, 1.72).

“All types of objectively measured VI were associated with a higher dementia prevalence,” the authors write. “Thus, prioritizing vision health may be key to optimizing both sight and overall health and well-being.”

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