"Can we systematically improve patients' visual activities by simply improving home lighting?"
The question comes
from an RPB-supported
commentator on this
research.
Older Adults Experience More Vision Difficulties at Home
Adults have better vision in clinics rather than at home, due to poor home lighting, according to an RPB-supported study by Anjali M. Bhorade, MD, MSCI, of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and colleagues.
Clinicians often assume that vision measured in the clinic is equivalent to vision at home, according to the study background. However, many patients report visual difficulties greater than expected based on their vision testing in the clinic.
Between 2005 and 2009, researchers studied 126 patients with and 49 without glaucoma (ages 55 to 90 years old) from the Glaucoma and Comprehensive Eye Clinics at Washington University in St. Louis. Patients underwent clinic and home visits and several aspects of their vision were measured.
According to study findings, the mean scores for all vision tests were better in the clinic than at home for the participants. Glaucoma patients read two or more lines on an eye chart better in the clinic than at home and 39 percent of advanced glaucoma patients read three or more lines better in the clinic. Participants in the clinic also tested better in near visual acuity (NVA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) with glare. Lighting was the largest factor associated with difference in vision between the clinic and home; home lighting was below what was recommended for 85 percent or more of participants.
"In summary, distance and near VA [visual acuity], CS, and CS with glare may be better in the clinic than home for older adults with and without glaucoma," the authors conclude. "This discrepancy may be owing, in part, to poor home lighting. Clinician awareness of these results may ease confusion regarding inconsistencies between a patient's stated visual difficulties and their clinical examination."
The study was funded by grants from the National Eye Institute, Pfizer, the American Glaucoma Society, the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging, Research to Prevent Blindness, National Institutes of Health Vision, and the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Science.
November 22, 2013
Subscribe
Get our email updates filled with the latest news from our researchers about preventing vision loss, treating eye disease and even restoring sight. Unsubscribe at any time. Under our privacy policy, we'll never share your contact information with a third party.
| General Info | Grants | News & Resources |
Research to Prevent Blindness
360 Lexington Avenue, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 752-4333
Copyright © 2024 Research to Prevent Blindness. All Rights Reserved.
