Worsening vision linked to cognitive changes in older adults, says study

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Worsening eyesight in older adults may be linked to future cognitive functioning, a new study has stated.

The findings suggested that maintaining good vision through the prevention and treatment of vision disorders may be a strategy to lessen age-related cognitive changes.

For the study, published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, the researchers evaluated the longitudinal associations between visual impairment and cognitive function.

A total of 2,520 participants -- aged between 65 to 84 years of which 1,458 (58 per cent) were women -- were assessed over a period of eight years in four rounds -- at the beginning of the study, two, six and eight years later.

Visual acuity was measured using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts, and cognitive status was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

It was found that visual impairment measured at distance is associated with declining cognitive function both cross-sectionally and longitudinally over time with worsening vision having a stronger association with declining cognition than the reverse, said co-author D. Diane Zheng from the University of Miami.

It was also noted that the rate of worsening visual acuity was associated with the rate of declining MMSE score.

(With IANS Inputs)