1. Association between self-reported visual symptoms (suggesting cataract) and self-reported fall-related injury among adults aged ≥ 65 years from five low- and middle-income countries.
- Author
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Smith L, López Sánchez GF, Veronese N, Soysal P, Tully MA, Gorely T, Allen PM, Rahmati M, Yon DK, Ball G, Butler L, Keyes H, Barnett Y, Shin JI, and Koyanagi A
- Subjects
- Humans, Aged, Female, Male, Cross-Sectional Studies, India epidemiology, Prevalence, China epidemiology, Aged, 80 and over, Russia epidemiology, Mexico epidemiology, Ghana epidemiology, Risk Factors, Vision Disorders epidemiology, Vision Disorders etiology, Accidental Falls statistics & numerical data, Cataract epidemiology, Self Report, Developing Countries
- Abstract
Background: Cataracts may increase risk for falls but studies on this topic from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are scarce. Therefore, we examined the cross-sectional association between self-reported visual symptoms (suggesting cataract) and self-reported injurious falls in nationally representative samples of adults aged ≥ 65 years from five LMICs (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, and Russia)., Methods: Data from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) were analysed. Self-reported information on past 12-month fall-related injury and cataract based on symptoms were collected. Multivariable logistic regression and meta-analyses were conducted to assess associations., Results: Data on 13,101 people aged ≥ 65 years were analysed [mean (SD) age 72.5 (11.3) years; 45.2% males]. The overall prevalence of self-reported fall-related injury and visual symptoms (suggesting cataract) were 4.9% and 29.4%, respectively. There was a positive association between self-reported visual symptoms (suggesting cataract) and fall-related injury (i.e., OR > 1) in all five countries but statistical significance was reached in three: China (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.08-2.35), India (OR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.15-3.35), and Russia (OR = 3.58; 95% CI = 2.06-6.24). The pooled OR including all five countries based on a meta-analysis was OR = 1.88 (95% CI = 1.32-2.68)., Conclusions: Self-reported visual symptoms (suggesting cataract) were associated with higher odds for self-reported injurious falls among older adults in LMICs. Expanding availability of cataract surgery in LMICs may also have the additional benefit of reducing falls among older people., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)
- Published
- 2024
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