This report describes the prevalence of self-reported dry eye syndrome and associations with systemic and ocular factors in an older Australian population. Participants of the Extension Blue Mountains Eye Study, aged 50 or older (mean age 60.8 years, n = 1174) completed a comprehensive eye examination and dry eye questionnaire. At least one dry eye symptom was reported by 57.5% of participants, with 16.6% reporting moderate to severe symptoms, more frequent in women (age-adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.2). Three or more symptoms were reported by 15.3% of participants, also more frequent in women (age-adjusted OR 1.7, CI 1.2-2.4). No age-related trends or significant ocular associations were observed. After adjusting for age and sex, systemic factors significantly associated with dry eye syndrome included history of arthritis, asthma, gout, use of corticosteroids, antidepressants and hormone replacement therapy. In this older population, dry eye syndrome was common and has associations with female gender and systemic diseases.

Noncorrectable visual impairment was associated with reduced functional status and well-being, with a magnitude comparable to major medical conditions. These data have implications for disability weights such as those developed by the Global Burden of Disease study.

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To assess associations between agerelated vision and hearing impairments and whether combined sensory losses magnify effects on health-related quality of life.Methods: Seventy-five percent of survivors (n=2334) were reexamined at Blue Mountains Eye Study 5-year examinations and 86.3% (2015) attended hearing assessments. Visual impairment was defined as visual acuity less than 20/40 (better eye), and hearing impairment as average pure-tone air conduction threshold greater than 25 dB (500-4000 Hz, better ear).Results: Persons with visual impairment, compared with those without visual impairment, had lower mean audiometric thresholds across all frequencies (PՅ.05). For each 1-line (5-letter) reduction in best-corrected visual acuity and presenting visual acuity, hearing loss prevalence increased by 18% and 13%, respectively. Cataract