Eye care is crucial to healthy ageing

US researcheres link poor vision to a low quality of life and depression among nursing home residents

Elderly nursing home residents often miss out on basic eye care, leading to a poorer quality of life and depression, according to US academics.

The researchers from the University of Alabama said this was partly because care givers and family members often feel that new or stronger glasses will not do any good for someone who is already mentally or physically impaired.

The study looked at almost 200 residents from 17 nursing homes.

Some in the group were given new glasses a week after having a check-up while the others did not receive them until two months later.

The group who got new glasses after a week scored higher for general vision, reading, activities and social interaction, and had fewer depressive symptoms over a two month period.

The findings are significant, the researchers said, because nursing home residents in the United States and other industrialized nations are up to 15 times more likely to have vision problems than people of the same age who live independently.

Reuters

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