Prevalence and Causes of Bilateral Blindness and Visual Impairment among Institutionalized Elderly People in Pamplona, Spain

Purpose. To estimate the prevalence and causes of bilateral blindness and visual impairment in an urban institutionalized population aged 65 years and older. Methods. A total of 392 nursing home residents completed a standardized eye examination, including measurement of visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure, lens opacity grading, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and photography of the macular area. The major causes of vision loss identified for all participants were blindness and visual impairment. Results. The average subject age was 82 years (65–97); women outnumbered men 263 to 129. The prevalence of bilateral blindness (VA ≥1.0 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) was 14.9% (43/288); the prevalence of visual impairment (VA ≥0.5 and 1.0 logMAR) was 31.9% (92/288). Blindness and visual impairment increased significantly with age (p