Self-reported vision and hallucinations in older adults: results from two longitudinal US health surveys

Abstract Background Vision loss may be a risk factor for hallucinations, but this has not been studied at the population level. Methods To determine the association between self-reported vision loss and hallucinations in a large community-based sample of older adults, we performed a cross-sectional...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Age and ageing 2020-08, Vol.49 (5), p.843-849
Main Authors: Hamedani, Ali G, Thibault, Dylan P, Shea, Judy A, Willis, Allison W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Cataracts
Eye surgery
Hallucinations
Health surveys
Older people
Population studies
Regression analysis
Research Paper
Retirement
Risk factors
Surgery
Vision
Visual impairment
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Vision loss may be a risk factor for hallucinations, but this has not been studied at the population level. Methods To determine the association between self-reported vision loss and hallucinations in a large community-based sample of older adults, we performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of two large, nationally representative US health surveys: the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Visual impairment and hallucinations were self- or proxy-reported. Multivariate single and mixed effects logistic regression models were built to examine whether visual impairment and history of cataract surgery were associated with hallucinations. Results In NHATS (n = 1520), hallucinations were more prevalent in those who reported difficulty reading newspaper print (OR 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32–2.39) or recognising someone across the street (OR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.86–3.31) after adjusting for confounders. In HRS (n = 3682), a similar association was observed for overall (OR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.08–1.60), distance (OR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.32–1.96) and near eyesight difficulties (OR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.25–1.85). In neither sample was there a significant association between cataract surgery and hallucinations after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions Visual dysfunction is associated with increased odds of hallucinations in the older US adult population. This suggests that the prevention and treatment of vision loss may potentially reduce the prevalence of hallucinations in older adults.
ISSN:0002-0729
1468-2834
DOI:10.1093/ageing/afaa043