Epidemiologic studies of vision usually describe the frequencyof impaired vision in noninstitutionalized populations. Fewsuch studies have surveyed vision in residents of long-termcare facilities. Because Tielsch et al., the authors of a reportin this issue of the Journal,1 surveyed visual acuity in thegeneral adult population2 and in nursing home residents1 inthe same communities, they were able to compare the two populations.This comparison is telling because of the markedly higher frequencyof impaired vision among people in nursing homes. Whether theimpaired vision hastened nursing home admission (and prolongedthe stay) or is merely a . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Karlawish, J., Schainholz, D. C., Tielsch, J. M., Katz, J., Sommer, A., Klein, B. E.K., Klein, R.
(1995). Blindness among Nursing Home Residents. NEJM
333: 879-880
[Full Text]