Adults with poor vision are at increased risk of early death according to a recent study from the Westmead Millenium Institute in Sydney, Australia, published in the Archives of Ophthalmology. Researchers found that in a group of adults between 49 and 74, those with noncorrectable vision problems were 35% more likely to die than people with unimpaired vision. Michael J. Karpa and colleagues analyzed data from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, in which 3,654 Australians over the age of 49 were examined between 1992 and 1994, with follow-up exams at five and ten years. Patients were considered to have noncorrectable visual impairment if they presented with vision worse than 20/40 in the better eye after subjective refraction. The researchers compared these eye health data with Australian mortality records. They found that 13 years after the study started, 1,273 of the participants had died, and that those with vision problems were more likely to die. Finding showed that difficulty walking, which is often a result of vision problems, is the most significant risk factor. According to the researchers, people who have difficulty walking may be less likely to visit a doctor regularly (for an exam or to get prescriptions for important medications filled). They also may have a poorer diet, be less likely to exercise, be socially isolated, and be less likely to seek urgent help. Previous studies found that people were also prone to other factors that can raise mortality risk, such as unintentional injury, depression, increased risk of falls, and cardiovascular disease. If adults in the developed world risk early death from poor vision and blindness, in the developing world the risks are higher. Here at Seva we receive terrible stories and photos of blind adults and blind children who have suffered terrible accidents and endured harsh lives because of their vision impairment. The good news is that for 80% of the world's blind, there is a solution in sight -- their vision loss is either treatable or preventable. Visit www.seva.ca for more information. Source: medpagetoday