Among men and women in their 40s and 50s, impaired vision may adversely affect overall health and quality of life. Jugnoo Rahi, from University College London (United Kingdom), and colleagues collected data on 9,330 44- and 45-year-olds relating to distance, near, and stereo visual acuities, along with health and social outcomes. The researchers found that various types of visual impairment were associated with inability to work because of sickness, low socioeconomic status, and self-reported health problems. In addition, vision problems in middle-age were also linked to prenatal and early life factors, including maternal smoking during pregnancy, low birth weight, small size for gestational age, and crowded living conditions. The team observes that: “[I]mpaired vision can have important adverse consequences, which highlights the value of investigating visual function in the broader context of health and social functioning. In addition, visual function in adult life may be influenced directly by key prenatal and childhood biological and social determinants of general health.”
