Low vision status and declining vision decrease Health-Related Quality of Life: Results from a nationwide 11-year follow-up study

Quality of Life Research - The impact of visual acuity (VA) on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and the cross-sectional and longitudinal differences in HRQoL during the 11-year follow-up were...     

Does Incidence of Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer Decrease with Increasing Degree of Visual Impairment

Objective The issue of light at night and cancer continuously attracts discussion. The major hypotheses are that melatonin may decrease risk of hormone-related cancers, particularly breast cancer, or even act as a potent antioxidant and thus have a protective effect against cancer development in general. Methods We tested the hypothesis that blind persons are at lower risk of cancer in a follow-up study linking a cohort of 17,557 persons with visual impairment identified from the Finnish Register of Visual Impairment with cancer incidence data of the Finnish Cancer Registry for years 1983–2003. Results Breast cancer risk in females decreased by degree of visual impairment, and a similar but less consistent trend was observed for prostate cancer in males. The incidence for the remaining cancers among nearly to totally blind persons was significantly higher than in average Finnish population. Conclusions Our findings add to the suggestive epidemiological evidence for a decreased risk of hormone-related cancers in people with visual impairment and, consequently, a relationship between visible light at night and breast cancer risk. The result is strongly against the hypothesis of a systemic protective effect related lack of visible light.     

Changes in Visual Impairment due to Diabetic Retinopathy During 1980–2019 Based on Nationwide Register Data

OBJECTIVETo evaluate changes in the incidence, prevalence, severity, and onset age of visual impairment (VI) due to diabetic retinopathy (DR) and compare these trends in the screening and treatment of diabetes during 40 years based on Finnish national register data.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe included people with VI with nonproliferative DR (NPDR; n = 2,490, 73% women) or proliferative DR (PDR; n = 2,026, 53% women) as the main diagnosis for VI during 1980–2019 in the Finnish Register of Visual Impairment. The number of patients with treated diabetes during 1986–2019 was obtained from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland registers based on reimbursed medication data.RESULTSThe annual incidence of reported VI due to DR has decreased since it peaked in the 1990s: regarding NPDR, it decreased from 102.3 to 5.5 per 100,000 patients with treated diabetes between the 1990s and 2010s; regarding PDR, the respective change was from 39.9 to 7.4. The incidence of patients with diabetes treated for DR increased during this period. Annual prevalence of reported VI and differences between sexes steadily decreased in the 2000s and 2010s. The severity of reported VI has decreased, and the age at the onset of reported VI increased during the 40 years.CONCLUSIONSPrevalence and incidence of VI due to DR have dramatically decreased and shifted to older age during the 40 years despite the increasing prevalence of diabetes. These positive trends highlight the successful development and effectiveness of screening and therapies for diabetes and DR.     

Inverse association between breast cancer incidence and degree of visual impairment in Finland.

A total of 10935 women with visual impairment were identified from the Finnish Register of Visual Impairment and followed up for cancer through the Finnish Cancer Registry for years 1983-1996. Breast cancer risk decreased by degree of visual impairment (P for trend 0.04) which suggests a dose-response relationship between visible light and breast cancer risk.     

Visual impairment and cancer: a population-based cohort study in Finland

Objectives: To describe the cancer risk pattern of Finnish persons with visual impairment.Methods: A cohort of 17,557 persons identified from the Finnish Register of Visual Impairment was followed-up for cancer through the Finnish Cancer Registry from 1983–95. The degree of visual impairment ranged from moderate low vision with visual acuity less than 0.3, to total blindness with no perception of light. The standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by primary site; the expected rates were based on national cancer incidence rates.Results: The SIR for overall cancer among totally blind men was 2.2 (CI=1.3–3.5) while in the entire cohort the incidence was increased by only 15% (1,255 cancers observed cf 1,093 expected). Excesses were observed inboth genders in cancers of the liver (SIR=1.8, CI=1.2–2.5) and lung (SIR=1.5, CI=1.3–1.7); in females in cancers of the stomach (SIR=1.5, CI=1.2–1.9) and the colorectum (SIR=1.3, CI=1.1–1.6); and in males incancers ofthe kidney (SIR=1.8, CI=1.1–2.6) and the eye (5.8, CI=1.9–13). The excess in lung cancer was entirely attributable to age-related macular degeneration (which is most common among smokers).Conclusions: Cancer incidence among the visually impaired tended to be increased for most cancer types. Attention should be paid to lifestyle factors underlying the observed risk increases, such as unbalanced diet.