ANN ARBOR, Mich.—More than one-quarter of U.S. adults aged 71 years and older have vision impairment, according to a National Health and Aging Trends survey study. Results of the new study by Olivia J. Killeen, MD, MS, et al, were recently published online first in JAMA Ophthalmology. The survey study presents a secondary data analysis of the 2021 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a population-based, nationally representative panel study of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older.

NHATS includes community-dwelling older adults or their proxies who complete in-person interviews; annual follow-up interviews are conducted regardless of residential status. Round 11 NHATS data were collected from June to November 2021, and data were analyzed in August 2022.
 

Survey results found that the prevalence of vision impairment in U.S. adults aged 71 years and older was 27.8 percent. This was higher than prior estimates, the authors noted. Differences in vision impairment prevalence by socioeconomic and demographic factors were also noted. A higher prevalence of near visual acuity and contrast sensitivity impairments was associated with non-White race and Hispanic ethnicity.
 
Access to the full text of the study and related tables can be found here.