Association of Psychosocial Factors with Activation Among Patients with Glaucoma.

Objective: To investigate the association of psychosocial factors with health self-management behaviors and beliefs among patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Design: Prospective cross-sectional cohort study.

Participants: Patients (n = 202) with mild, moderate, or advanced bilateral POAG.

Reduced Mammography Screening for Breast Cancer among Women with Visual Impairment.

Purpose: Timely mammography to screen for breast cancer in accordance with the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations can reduce morbidity and mortality substantially. This study assessed whether the odds of undergoing screening mammography are similar for women with and without visual impairment (VI).

Design: Retrospective, longitudinal cohort study.

Activation in individuals with vision loss.

Vision loss and blindness are significant causes of disability. Patient activation has been previously unstudied in individuals with vision loss. Among our 146 participants, visual acuities for 38.

Association of Vision Loss With Hospital Use and Costs Among Older Adults.

Importance: Patients with vision loss who are hospitalized for common illnesses are often not identified as requiring special attention. This perception, however, may affect the outcomes, resource use, and costs for these individuals.

Objective: To assess whether the mean hospitalization lengths of stay, readmission rates, and costs of hospitalization differed between individuals with vision loss and those without when they are hospitalized for similar medical conditions.

Comparisons of Two Microperimeters: The Clinical Value of an Extended Stimulus Range.

Significance: Fundus-guided perimetry is a common clinical tool used to measure visual field sensitivities. Comparisons between perimeters are often made despite relative differences in hardware parameters. We directly compared two perimeters using Weber contrast, which allowed us to assess the clinical gain associated with the extended stimulus range of the macular integrity assessment (MAIA).

Effects of Lighting on Reading Speed as a Function of Letter Size.

Objective: We sought to determine under what conditions brighter lighting improves reading performance.

Method: Thirteen participants with typical sight and 9 participants with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) read sentences ranging from 0.0 to 1.

The Association of Health-Related Quality of Life with Severity of Visual Impairment among People Aged 40-64 Years: Findings from the 2006-2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Purpose: To examine the association of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with severity of visual impairment among people aged 40-64 years.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the 2006-2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine six measures of HRQoL: self-reported health, physically unhealthy days, mentally unhealthy days, activity limitation days, life satisfaction, and disability. Visual impairment was categorized as no, a little, or moderate/severe.

Impact of vision impairment on intensity of occupational therapy utilization and outcomes in subacute rehabilitation.

Objective: To examine whether vision impairment is a predictor of intensity of occupational therapy utilization and outcomes in a sample of older adults ages ≥55 receiving subacute rehabilitation in a long-term care setting.

Method: Data for this cohort study were collected by means of structured, in-person interviews with 100 older adult rehabilitation patients at admission to a subacute unit in a long-term care facility and by medical chart review after discharge.

Results: Regression analyses indicated that after controlling for sociodemographic, health, and social support variables, worse contrast sensitivity was a significant predictor of decreased time in occupational therapy, and worse visual acuity was a significant predictor of higher functional dependency at discharge.

Medicare coverage for vision assistive equipment.

Vision loss that cannot be corrected medically, surgically, or by refractive means is considered low vision. Low vision often results in impairment of daily activities, loss of independence, increased risk of fractures, excess health care expense, and reduced physical functioning, quality of life, and life expectancy. Vision rehabilitation can enable more independent functioning for individuals with low vision.

Medical care cost of Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries with vision loss.

Purpose: To assess the impact of vision loss on healthcare cost for patients with Medicaid and Medicare and whether these costs are adequately captured by Medicare hierarchical condition categories (HCC) risk adjustment methodology.

Data Sources: The public use data set of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) for 1994-1998, and the Medicare 5% Sample datasets for 2003 and 2004.

Methods: For the first analysis, up to five years of PACE data for each individual was used to calculate HCC scores (n = 3,459).