Vision linked to quality of life in aged care
Improving the vision of nursing home residents gives them a better quality of life with less depression, according to a study by University of Alabama researchers reported in the Archives of Opthalmology.
They studied nursing home residents, some who had to wait two months to get their new glasses and others who got their new glasses immediately.
New glasses allowed people to have better social interaction and participation in activities and gave them a dramatic improvement in the quality of their lives. They had less difficulty in performing daily activities such as reading and watching TV, and were better able to join in group activities.
Those who waited experienced poorer quality of life, with the study concluding that people with mental and physical impairments gained many benefits when given immediate vision care.