Zetterlund Christina, Lundqvist Lars-Olov, Richter Hans Olof
Low Vision Centre, Region Örebro County, Örebro, Sweden.
University Health Care Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Clin Exp Optom. 2019 Jan;102(1):63-69. doi: 10.1111/cxo.12806. Epub 2018 Jun 25.
Visual impairment is globally among the most prevalent disabilities. Research concerning the health consequences of visual deficits is challenged by confounding effects of age, because visual impairment becomes more prevalent with age. This study investigates the influence of visual deficits on visual, musculoskeletal and balance symptoms in adults with and without visual impairment, while controlling for age effects.
Thirty-nine patients with visual impairment, aged 18-72 years, were compared to 37 age-matched controls with normal vision, allocated to two age groups: < 45 and ≥ 45 years. Self-reported symptoms were measured using the Visual, Musculoskeletal and Balance Symptoms Questionnaire and compared with demographic and optometric variables.
In total, patients with visual impairment reported more symptoms than age-matched normally sighted controls. Younger adults in the control group were almost free from symptoms, whereas younger adults with visual impairment reported levels of symptoms equal to older adults with visual impairment. Multiple logistic regression modelling identified use of eyeglasses, magnifying aids and presence of anisometropia to be the most influential risk factors for reporting visual, musculoskeletal and balance symptoms, with accentuated influence on balance symptoms.
People with visual impairments and people with age-related normal visual deficits are both predisposed to report visual, musculoskeletal and balance symptoms relative to people without visual defects or need for eye-wear correction. Age-related variations in symptoms were observed in the control groups but not in the visual impairment groups, with younger visual impairment patients reporting as many symptoms as older visual impairment patients. These findings indicate a need for a wider interdisciplinary perspective on eye care concerning people with visual impairment and people with need for habitual daily use of eye wear correction.
视力障碍是全球最普遍的残疾之一。由于视力障碍随着年龄增长而更为普遍，关于视力缺陷对健康影响的研究受到年龄混杂效应的挑战。本研究在控制年龄效应的同时，调查了视力缺陷对有和没有视力障碍的成年人的视觉、肌肉骨骼和平衡症状的影响。
将39名年龄在18 - 72岁的视力障碍患者与37名年龄匹配的视力正常对照者进行比较，分为两个年龄组：< 45岁和≥ 45岁。使用视觉、肌肉骨骼和平衡症状问卷测量自我报告的症状，并与人口统计学和验光变量进行比较。
总体而言，视力障碍患者报告的症状比年龄匹配的视力正常对照者更多。对照组中的年轻人几乎没有症状，而有视力障碍的年轻人报告的症状水平与有视力障碍的老年人相当。多元逻辑回归模型确定，使用眼镜、放大镜辅助工具和屈光参差的存在是报告视觉、肌肉骨骼和平衡症状的最有影响力的危险因素，对平衡症状的影响更为突出。
与没有视力缺陷或不需要眼镜矫正的人相比，视力障碍者和与年龄相关的视力正常缺陷者都更容易报告视觉、肌肉骨骼和平衡症状。在对照组中观察到与年龄相关的症状差异，但在视力障碍组中未观察到，年轻的视力障碍患者报告的症状与老年视力障碍患者一样多。这些发现表明，对于视力障碍者和需要日常习惯性使用眼镜矫正的人，需要在眼科护理方面有更广泛的跨学科视角。
