EaseVision.com – News and gossips of vision care and optical industry

A long-term visual study conducted by researchers at the Institute of Child Health, University College London has reveals some significant results. Recruiting 9,330 participants, the study has taken use of their health data gathered in clinical exams from birth to middle age. This is one of the largest studies that evaluate potential relationship between visual disability and social and occupational success. 

All participants of the study were 44 or 45 years old. Everyone was born in Britain within a single week in 1958. This cohort was intentionally chosen by researchers. During the study, these participants wear asked to receive eye tests of near, distance and stereo visual acuity. Results showed that 1.3% of them had socially significant visual impairment. Bothered by visual defects, this group of individuals could not pass a driving test. And 0.9% of participants were suffering severe visual impairment or blindness. 

The study has kept all healthy data of the large number of participants, from their birth to middle age. It is possible to analyze other factors in their lives associated with vision problems. In general, the study points out that many factors can contribute to impaired vision, including unemployment, low socioeconomic status and general and mental health problems. In addition, there are other potential causes of poor vision, such as low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, maternal smoking during pregnancy and socioeconomic deprivation in early childhood. 

It is well-known that certain health conditions such as hypertension in adults are often associated with key prenatal and childhood factors. But another important finding of this study is that these early factors can also affect visual function in adults. According to the lead researcher on the study Jugnoo S. Rahi, PhD, further life-span researches are needed in order figure out the causes of some complex eye diseases. In some cases, eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration are closely related to other health problems of the body.