Vision Impairment Among Older Adults Residing in Assisted Living

Objective: To examine rates of visual impairment of older adults in assisted living facilities (ALFs). Methods: Vision screening events were held at 12 ALFs in Jefferson County, Alabama, for residents above 60 years of age. Visual acuity, cognitive status, and presence of eye conditions were assessed. Results: A total of 144 residents were screened. Of these 67.8% failed distance screening, 70.9% failed near screening, and 89.3% failed contrast sensitivity screening. A total of 40.4% of residents had cognitive impairment and 89% had a least one diagnosed eye condition. Visual acuities did not differ significantly between cognitive status groups or with greater numbers of eye conditions. Discussion: This study is the first to provide information about vision impairment in the assisted living population. Of those screened, 70% had visual acuity worse than 20/40 for distance or near vision, and 90% had impaired contrast sensitivity. Cognitive impairment accounted for a small percentage of the variance in near vision and contrast sensitivity.