Table 1.
Characteristics of studies that evaluated the association between vision impairment and social participation.
| Study author [Ref.] | Study design | Study site | VI measure | Study outcomes | Sampling strategy and sample frame | Sample size | Mean age | Control group | Conclusions and measure(s) of association | Bias assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma et al. [29] | Cross-Sectional | Netherlands | VA, VF, subj. | SP, ADLs | Convenience; adults ≥55 seeking vision services | 173 | 72.3 | No | Those with VI were restricted in socializing, but not in interpersonal relationships. | Weak |
| Alma et al. [30] | Cross-Sectional | Netherlands | VA, VF | SP, ADLs, mental health | Convenience; adults ≥55 seeking vision services | 173 | 72.3 | No | VI leads to SP restriction; severity of VI has no effect. | Weak |
| Bachar et al. [31] | Cross-Sectional | Jerusalem | VA, VF | SP | Convenience; adults 45–65 seeking vision services | 150 | NR | Yes | Blind subjects showed less social engagement. | Weak |
| Cimarolli et al. [32] | Cross-Sectional | New York, United States | VA, CS, subj. | SP, ADLs, social support | Convenience; adults ≥65 seeking vision services | 364 | 82.79 | No | Worse visual function was associated with less social engagement. | Weak |
| Crews et al. [33] | Cross-Sectional | United States | Subj. | SP, ADLs | Stratified random; national survey of adults ≥70 | 9447 | NR | Yes | Seven out of eight social activities were sig. reduced in those with VI (ORs ranged from 0.6 to 0.9). | Weak |
| Desrosiers et al. [34] | Cross-Sectional | Quebec, Canada | VA, VF | SP, ADLs | Convenience; adults ≥65 seeking vision services | 132 | 79.3 | Yes | Social roles of participants with VI were sig. reduced. | Weak |
| Gallagher et al. [35] | Cross-Sectional | Ireland | Subj. | SP, ADLs | Convenience; national survey of disabled adults 16–65 | 1304 | 42.89 | Yes | The greatest difficulty for those with blindness was participation in society. | Weak |
| Jaarsma et al. [36] | Cross-Sectional | Netherlands | VA, subj. | Sports participation | Convenience; adults ≥18 seeking vision services | 643 | 49.1 | No | VI was negatively associated with participation in sports, but level of VI had no significant influence. | Weak |
| Jones et al. [16] | Cross-Sectional | United States | Subj. | SP, ADLs, mental health, physical health | Stratified random; national survey of adults ≥65 | 40695 | NR | Yes |
Reduced SP in blind people compared with those with no VI AOR = 2.85 (2.04, 3.97). |
Moderate |
| Lamoureux et al. [9] | Cross-Sectional | Australia | VA, VF | SP, ADLs, mental health, physical health, other social | Convenience; adults ≥18 seeking vision services | 319 | 78.4 | No | Distance VA was a significant predictor of SP. | Moderate |
| Lamoureux et al. [37] | Cross-Sectional | Australia | VA | SP, ADLs, mental health, physical health, other social | Convenience; adults ≥18 seeking vision services | 45 | 67.5 | No | Participants with severe VA (VA < 20/200) experience greater restriction of participation. | Moderate |
| Latorre-Arteaga et al. [38] | Cross-Sectional | Spain | Subj. | SP, mental health | Stratified random; national survey of Roma adults ≥16 | 22174 | NR | Yes | SP in the Roma population is significantly associated with vision. | Weak |
| Matthews et al. [39] | Cohort (longitudinal) | England | Subj. | SP, mental health | Stratified random; national survey of adults ≥50 | 8581 | 66.46 | Yes | Changes in social engagement are affected to a greater magnitude by deterioration of self-reported vision. | Weak |
| Mick et al. [40] | Cross-Sectional | Canada | Subj. | SP, other social | Stratified random; national survey of adults 45–85 | 21241 | NR | Yes | Vision loss was associated with reduced SP. OR 1.20 (1.04–1.39). | Weak |
| Naël et al. [41] | Cross-Sectional | France | VA | SP, ADLs | Stratified random; regional survey of adults ≥65 | 709 | 84.3 | Yes | Participants with severe VI (>20/63–20/40) were more likely to be restricted (RR = 2.08; 95% CI:1.25–3.47). | Weak |
| Pongsachareonnont et al. [42] | Cross-Sectional | Thailand | VA | SP | Convenience; rural community-dwelling adults ≥50 | 327 | 67.6 | Yes | VI was significantly associated with low social engagement (adjusted OR 4.13, CI 1.47–11.59). | Weak |
| Viljanen et al. [43] | Cross-Sectional | Europe | Subj. | SP | Stratified random; multi-national survey of adults ≥50 | 27536 | 65.2 | Yes | Participants who reported VI had an OR of 1.77 (95% CI 1.56–2.00) for being socially inactive. | Moderate |
| Yang [44] | Cross-Sectional | Toronto, Canada | VA, VF, subj. | SP, mental health | Convenience; adults ≥50 seeking vision care | 118 | NR | No | Those with greater glaucoma severity had more difficulty with social roles (p < 0.01). | Weak |
| Zimdars et al. [18] | Cross-Sectional | England | Subj. | SP, ADLs, mental health, physical health, other social | Stratified random; national survey of adults ≥50 | 11392 | NR | Yes |
The following associations with VI were reported (ORs): not voting: 1.5 (1.1–1.9). no volunteering: 2.5 (1.8–3.3). no cultured activities: 3.1 (2.5–3.8). no hobbies: 2.5 (1.9–3.2). |
Weak |
ADLs activities of daily living, AOR adjusted odds ratio, CI confidence interval, CS contrast sensitivity, OR odds ratio, RR relative risk, SP social participation, Subj subjective, VA visual acuity, VF visual field, VI vision impairment, NR not reported