DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED VISION - THE MOVIES PROJECT

OBJECTIVE: To assess how depression and impaired vision relate to disa bility in older people. DESIGN: An epidemiological survey of an age-st ratified random community sample. SETTING: The rural mid-Monongahela V alley in Southwestern Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 872 nonin stitutionalized per sons aged 68 and older, fluent in English, and wit h at least a grade 6 education. MEASUREMENTS: Demographics, self-repor ted vision impairment, OARS Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (I ADL), and modified Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale t o assess depression. RESULTS: Compared with subjects with intact visio n, those with impaired vision were more likely to have five or more de pressive symptoms (29.7% vs 8.5%; OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.2, 9.6) and to be more functionally impaired (OR = 9.7, 95% CI = 4.9, 19.2). The numb er of depressive symptoms (1-4: OR = 2.4, CI = 1.8, 3.4) and (5 +: OR = 5.9, CI = 3.6, 9.8) was associated independently with IADL impairmen t after controlling for vision, age, and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired vision and depression are both associated strongly with functional im pairment in this community population of older adults. Depression, how ever, increases the odds of functional impairment independent of visio n impairment. Treating depression may reduce excess disability associa ted with impaired vision.