Association of vision impairment and blindness with socioeconomic status in adults 50 years and older from Alto Amazonas, Peru

Nesemann J.M.; Morocho-Alburqueque N.; Quincho-Lopez A.; Muñoz M.; Liliana-Talero S.; Harding-Esch E.M.; Saboyá-Díaz M.I.; Honorio-Morales H.A.; Durand S.; Carey-Angeles C.A.; Klausner J.D.; Lescano A.G.; Keenan J.D. · Eye (Basingstoke) (2023) · DOI: 10.1038/s41433-021-01870-x

Resumen

Objective: To determine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and visual impairment (VI) or blindness in the rural Peruvian Amazon, hypothesizing that higher SES would have a protective effect on the odds of VI or blindness. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 16 rural communities in the Peruvian Amazon, consenting adults aged ≥ 50 years were recruited from ~30 randomly selected households per village. Each household was administered a questionnaire and had a SES score constructed using principal components analysis. Blindness and VI were determined using a ministry of health 3-meter visual acuity card. Results: Overall, 207 adults aged ≥ 50 were eligible; 146 (70.5%) completed visual acuity screening and answered the questionnaire. Of those 146 participants who completed presenting visual acuity screening, 57 (39.0%, 95% CI 30.2–47.1) were classified as visually impaired and 6 (4.1%, 95% CI 0.9–7.3) as blind. Belonging to the highest SES tercile had a protective effect on VI or blindness (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.91, p = 0.034), with a linear trend across decreasing levels of SES (p = 0.019). This observed effect remained significant regardless of how SES groups were assigned. Conclusion: Belonging to a higher SES group resulted in a lower odds of VI or blindness compared to those in the lowest SES group. The observation of a dose response provides confidence in the observed association, but causality remains unclear. Blindness prevention programs could maximize impact by designing activities that specifically target people with lower SES.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana; Universidad Nacional de Piura