Demographic Analysis of the Results of Adult Vision Screening in Omaha, Nebraska

Background: Visual impairment and blindness affects approximately 3.3 million U.S. adults 40 years and older. The primary causes include diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Glaucoma affects over 4 million Americans and 4.3% of the population in Nebraska. In Nebraska, 20% of the 103,000 diabetics have diabetic retinopathy. This study examined the relationship between risk factors such as diabetes, family history of glaucoma, age, and ethnicity to performance on adult vision screening (AVS). Methods: Retrospective review of AVS forms that were utilized to screen subjects who volunteered to participate in the screenings. All subjects 19 years or older underwent a vision screening performed by trained Prevent Blindness volunteers. Chi-square and t-tests were run in PASW 18.0 to analyze the data. Results: 72.7% of diabetic subjects failed the vision screening, creating a statistically significant relationship (r=17.62, p<0.05) compared to non-diabetic subjects. Family history of glaucoma was not significantly associated with subject outcomes. 77% of the Latino population and 65% of participants older than 64 years failed vision test; however, these relationships did not produce significant results. Conclusions: Diabetes is a significant risk factor for developing low visual acuity, occurring in 73% of diabetics tested. Also, age greater than 64 years and the Latino population showed a slight increase in prevalence of low visual acuity, indicating the importance of vision screenings in these populations. Currently, a family history of glaucoma, age greater than 64 years, and a Latino background did not result in statistically significant values due to the small size of the cohort