Objective
To explore trends in the prevalence of self-reported visual impairment in the noninstitutionalized
adult US population during the 27-year period from 1984 to 2010.
Design
Data obtained from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Survey of Income
and Program Participation (SIPP) were used to analyze trends in the prevalence of
self-reported visual impairment in the United States.
Participants
Representative, population-based samples of between 45 000 and 92 000 adults (NHIS)
and between 37 000 and 71 000 adults (SIPP) during each year of data collection.
Methods
Survey results were age-adjusted to a standard (2010) population. Sampling weights
were used throughout the analysis using strata and primary sampling unit variables
provided in the public use datasets to appropriately take into account the complex
design of the surveys. The statistical significance of trends was estimated by computing
the difference in chi-squares of a fit to a linear trendline and a fit without a trend.
Main Outcome Measures
The trends and percent change in the prevalence of visual impairment from 1984 to
1996 and from 1997 to 2010 for NHIS and 1984 to 2010 for SIPP.
Results
On the basis of NHIS data, the prevalence of activity-limiting visual impairment among
persons aged ≥65 years declined by 51.7% (
P < 0.001), from 3.5% in 1984 to 1.7% in 1996, and by 45.8% (
P < 0.001), from 3.1% in 1997 to 1.7% in 2010. On the basis of SIPP data, the prevalence
of functional visual impairment in the same age category declined by 58.3% (
P < 0.001), from 23.3% in 1984 to 9.7% in 2010, whereas the prevalence of severe functional
impairment declined by 47.1% (
P < 0.001), from 5.1% to 2.7%.
Conclusions
There was a marked reduction in the prevalence of self-reported visual impairment
in the noninstitutionalized adult US population during the period from 1984 to 2010.
Financial Disclosure(s)
Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: June 08, 2012
Accepted:
April 17,
2012
Received in revised form:
April 8,
2012
Received:
August 16,
2011
Footnotes
Manuscript no. 2011-1242.
Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have made the following disclosure(s): APT: Consultant for Alcon Laboratories, Expert Witness for Alcon Laboratories, Apotex, Inc, Sandoz, Inc, and Watson Laboratories, Inc; and Speaking Honorarium from Merck & Co, Inc. HSK: none.
Funding: Supported by an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness (New York, NY) to APT and by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research , US Department of Education (grant H133B080002 ) to HSK.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
