Authors: Ellen E. Freeman, Rumaisa Aljied, Marie-Josée Aubin, Saama Sabeti, Ralf Buhrmann
Author Disclosure Block: E.E. Freeman: None. R. Aljied: None. M. Aubin: Grant/research support; Name of Commercial Company(s); AbbVie. Membership on an advisory panel, standing committee or board of directors; Name of Commercial Company(s); AbbVie. S. Sabeti: None. R. Buhrmann: Employment/honoraria/consulting fees; Name of Commercial Company(s); Allergan.

Abstract Body:

Purpose: Determine the prevalence and determinants of visual impairment in Canada.

Study Design: Population based cross sectional study

Methods: Data from 30,097 adults who took part in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Comprehensive Study were included. Inclusion criteria included being between the ages of 45 and 85 years old, community-dwelling, and living near one of the 11 data collection sites across 7 Canadian provinces. People were excluded if they were in an institution, living on a First Nations reserve, were a full-time member of the Canadian Armed Forces, did not speak French or English, or had cognitive impairment. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart at two meters while participants wore their usual prescription for distance, if any, and also with pinhole correction. Visual impairment was defined as binocular presenting acuity worse than 20/40. Logistic regression was used accounting for the complex survey design.

Results: 5.7% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 5.4-6.0) of Canadian adults had visual impairment. A wide variation in the provincial prevalence of visual impairment was observed ranging from a low of 2.4% (95% CI 2.0-3.0) in Manitoba to a high of 10.9% (95% CI 9.6-12.2) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Uncorrected refractive error was the major cause of visual impairment. Factors associated with a higher odds of visual impairment included older age (odds ratio (OR)=1.07, 95% CI 1.06-1.08), lower income (OR=2.07 for those earning less than $20,000 per year, 95% CI 1.65-2.59), current smoking (OR=1.52, 95% CI 1.25-1.85), Type 2 diabetes (OR=1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.41), and memory problems (OR=1.44, 95% CI 1.04-2.01).

Conclusions: Efforts are needed to reduce uncorrected refractive errors, increase access to smoking cessation programs, and ensure that diabetics are getting appropriate eye care.