Abstract
Visual impairment among older adults poses immanent barriers to healthy ageing and quality of life. As the population ages, the prevalence of age-related eye conditions subsequently increases. Visual impairment in older adults has profound implications, affecting various aspects of life most importantly cognitive function and independence. Timely ophthalmic care and visual aids can prevent more than 80.0% of permanent visual impairment; however, data on eye care and visual aid use in older communities remains limited, particularly in New Zealand, where the aging population is growing rapidly. Our study aims to investigate the prevalence of eye examinations and visual aid use among older adults in New Zealand, utilizing the interRAI database to address this gap in understanding.
Our study analysed interRAI Home Care (HC) and Long-Term Care Facility (LTCF) assessments from 2019-2020, encompassing 48,038 individuals. Visual impairment was assessed based on the ability to see in adequate light, and ethnicity was categorized using Statistics New Zealand's coding. The analysis examined the rate of eye exams performed within the past year.
Results revealed that 42.7% of individuals had an eye exam in the previous year, with particular ethnic disparities; Māori had the lowest rate (34.8%) compared to NZ Europeans (44.0%). Visual aid availability also varied, with 60.1% of NZ-Europeans with moderate vision impairment using visual aids, compared to 36.9% of Māori and 26.7% of Pacific Peoples.
Our study discovered a large gap for the improvement of eye care in older adults with less than half of older adults receiving an annual eye exam, and interesting data surrounding the usual of visual aid use in Māori populations. Our study emphasises need for improved accessibility and affordability of eye exams and visual aids for older adults in New Zealand.