The Impact of Self-reported Visual Disability on Quality of Life among Older Persons in a Rural Area of Northeast Thailand: A Follow-up Study

Abstract

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to follow-up an earlier study which estimated the prevalence of self-reported visual disability and its impact on the quality of life (QOL) of older persons living in a rural area of Northeast Thailand based on a secondary analysis of data collected for another purpose. Self-reported difficulty with seeing was used to determine prevalence of visual disability. The WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD were used to assess the impact of visual disability on QOL. Fifty nine percent reported having difficulty seeing to the extent that it interfered with their daily life. Those who reported having difficulty with seeing were found to be older, disproportionately female, have lower perception of health, and to score lower on QOL than those who did not. The findings of this study differed from the earlier study. It is asserted that the findings from this latter study are likely to be more representative of the situation due to the use of a more systematic and targeted sampling procedure.