Refractive Error and Visual Function Difficulty in a Latino Population

Abstract

Objective To assess the association between correction of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism with self-reported near and distance visual function. Design Population based, cross-sectional study. Participants A random sample of 4272 Latinos over 40 years old from Arizona with both ophthalmic exam and questionnaire data, including answers to the NEI VFQ-25. Methods Cases of refractive error (RE) were defined as subjects who met at least one of the following criteria in both eyes: myopia, sphere ≤-0.5 diopters (D); hyperopia, sphere ≥1.0D; astigmatism, cylinder≥0.75D. Uncorrected refractive error (URE) was defined as having RE and achieving ≥2 line improvement in visual acuity in both eyes after refraction. The association between RE category and near and distance vision difficulty (as measured by the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnare-25 near and distance vision subscores) was modeled with ordinal logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, income, education and acculturation. Main Outcome Measures Association between RE correction and near and distance vision difficulty by type of RE (myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism). Results Of 4272 participants, 54% had RE. 48% of these had myopia, 41% hyperopia, and 11% astigmatism. 14% of myopes, 21% of hyperopes, and 22% of astigmatics had URE. Subjects with myopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia were significantly more likely to report more distance vision difficulty than subjects without RE, whether or not they had correction (Odds Ratios (OR) from 1.7-3.7; p<0.005 for all). Subjects with corrected myopia reported less near vision difficulty than subjects without RE (OR 0.8, Confidence Interval (CI) 0.7-0.9). Subjects with uncorrected hyperopia and uncorrected astigmatism reported more near vision difficulty than those without RE (OR 1.6, CI 1.2-2.2 and OR 1.7, CI 1.0-3.0, respectively). Self reported distance and near visual function scores were sensitive to non-vision variables; namely, age, sex, diabetes, high blood pressure, acculturation score, income, and education. Conclusions in our population, correction of any type of RE is not entirely sufficient to restore distance visual function to the level of those without RE. More research is necessary to determine the reasons for this shortcoming.

Utility Values among Myopic Patients in Mainland China

“…23 Hence, in our study, it seems that the TTO method is relatively easier for respondents to understand than the SG method, a finding that is supported by previous studies. 32 Future research might consider adopting an indirect approach to obtain utilities from myopic patients and compare results with those found in this study. The lack of agreement between the TTO and SG utilities is not unique to this study.…”

Intra‐ and inter‐ examiner repeatability of cycloplegic retinoscopy among young children

“…For those participants judged to have an astigmatic error of −0.75DC or higher by either examiner [i.e. those cylinders likely to have a significant impact on visual acuity] ( n = 18), agreement of cylinder axis was within ±10 ° for 53% and within ±20 ° for 71%.…”

Comparing the Impact of Refractive and Nonrefractive Vision Loss on Functioning and Disability

“…These groups have shown decreased self-reported visual function in all types of RE, 4 including uncorrected myopia, 5 uncorrected hyperopia, and astigmatism. 6 Correction of RE has also been shown to lead to improved self-reported function in children 7 and adults. 8 …”