Untreated vision problems linked to dementia in the elderly

March, 2010

Data from over 600 older adults has revealed that those with very good or excellent vision had a 63% reduced risk of dementia over the 8.5-year study period, while those with poorer vision who did not visit an ophthalmologist had a 9.5-fold increased risk of Alzheimer disease. The findings point to the need for older adults to seek treatment for their eye problems.

Data from 625 elderly Americans, followed for an average of 8.5 years, has revealed that those with very good or excellent vision at the beginning of the study had a 63% reduced risk of dementia over the study period. Those with poorer vision who did not visit an ophthalmologist had a 9.5-fold increased risk of Alzheimer disease and a 5-fold increased risk of cognitively impaired but no dementia. For the very-old (90+), 78% who maintained normal cognition had received at least one previous eye procedure compared with 51.7% of those with Alzheimer disease. The findings point to the need for older adults to seek treatment for their eye problems. The study raises the possibility that poor vision is not simply a symptom of developing dementia, but a contributing factor — possibly through its effect on curtailing activities which would help prevent it.

Reference: 

[325] Rogers, M. A. M., & Langa K. M.
(2010).  Untreated Poor Vision: A Contributing Factor to Late-Life Dementia.
Am. J. Epidemiol.. 171(6), 728 - 735.

Related News

Data from more than 14,265 people older adults (51+) multiple times over a decade or more through the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study has found that people with higher “multimorbidity scores” showed much faster cognitive decline than those with lower scores, even though most o

Large study shows level of beneficial alcohol consumption much lower than thought

Data from over 5,000 individuals found that a measure of belly fat (waist:hip ratio) was associated with reduced cognitive function in older Irish adults (60+). Body mass index (BMI), however, was found to protect cognitive function.

A study involving 116 healthy older adults (65-75) has found that higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood were associated with more efficient brain connectivity and better cognitive performance.

A long-running study involving 8225 adults found that self-reported diet during midlife (mean age 50) was not significantly associated with subsequent risk for dementia.

A small study comparing 38 younger adults (average age 22) and 39 older adults (average age 68) found that the older adults were less able to recognize when they made errors.

Can computer use, crafts and games slow or prevent age-related memory loss?

Americans with a college education live longer without dementia and Alzheimer's

Socially active 60-year-olds face lower dementia risk

Stressors in middle age linked to cognitive decline in older women

Data from some 900 older adults has linked stressful life experiences among middle-aged women, but not men, to greater memory decline in later life.

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.