Visual deficit and geriatric status of rural patients with various ophthalmic pathologies

Background: Diseases of the visual organ negatively affect the quality of life of the elderly. A comprehensive study of the pathology of the visual organ among the elderly population of the Voronezh region has not been conducted. The aim of the study: Analysis of visual deficit and geriatric status of rural patients with various ophthalmic pathologies. Materials and methods: The data were obtained retrospectively from medical records and case histories of 842 elderly patients (≥60 years old) who sought inpatient medical care in the "ophthalmology" profile in the period from 2018 to 2020. The extracted data included: age, gender, marital status, occupation, visual acuity, primary and concomitant ophthalmological diagnoses, medications, surgical interventions on the eyes. Results: The average age of patients was 69.8±7,5 years, 524 (62.2%) women. The most common were cataracts and glaucoma, there were also patients with AMD, DARP, refractive disorders, retinal detachment, senile pathology of the eyelids. Anti-glaucomatous drugs had a predominant share (57.1%) among all drugs used for the treatment of eye diseases. 66.4% were hospitalized for surgery, and 18.1% had previously undergone eye surgery. 61.4% of patients had a decrease in visual acuity of less than 40% in both eyes on admission, while 8.1% had poor vision or blindness in 1 or both eyes. Age and glaucoma were factors largely associated with severe visual deficits and blindness. Certain geriatric syndromes are associated with age in patients with visual deficits, among which the greatest prevalence is characteristic of falls syndrome, anxiety-depressive syndrome and cognitive impairment syndrome. Conclusion: The most common age-related eye diagnoses are glaucoma, cataract, and AMD. It is necessary to popularize the promotion of prevention and timely treatment of preventable causes of low vision and geriatric syndromes in the elderly.