Gender difference in prevalence of vision impairment among those aged ≥65 years reporting chronic conditions: Findings from the 2007-2011 national health interview survey

Objectives: To examine the gender difference in prevalence of vision impairment (VI) among people aged ≥65 years by chronic conditions. Method: The sample was 26,872 adults aged ≥65 years from the 2007-2011 National Health Interview Survey. We examined the prevalence of VI among people with selected chronic diseases (hypertension, heart disease, stroke, asthma, diabetes, and cancer) stratified by gender. Then we conducted logistic regression to estimate the odd ratios, adjusting for age, gender, race, education, and health status. We considered differences statistically significant at p<0.05. Results: Among people aged ≥65 years reporting chronic diseases, women had higher prevalence of VI than men for hypertension (17.8 % vs. 14.6%), stroke (27% vs. 23.4%), heart disease (22.9 % vs. 16.4%), cancer (17.4% vs. 15.3%), diabetes (22.2% vs. 17.3%), and asthma (21.7% vs. 16.7%). Compared to men with chronic diseases and after adjusting for other covariates, women with chronic diseases were significantly more likely to report VI for hypertension (odds ratio [OR]=1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.10-1.36), heart disease (OR=1.57; 95%CI=1.30-1.89), asthma (OR=1.40; 95%CI=1.10-1.79), and diabetes (OR=1.31; 95%CI=1.10, 1.56), but not for other diseases including stroke and cancer. Conclusions: There is a gender difference in prevalence of VI for those with chronic diseases (hypertension, heart disease, asthma, and diabetes). VI, while common among older people with chronic conditions particularly affects women. It is crucial to include women in strategies to improve vision among those with chronic diseases and to include women with VI in chronic disease management programs.