Life satisfaction and quality of life of older New Zealanders with and without impaired vision: a descriptive, comparative study

A study involving older New Zealanders (aged 65+) explored levels of life satisfaction reported by groups with and without impaired vision as well as factors contributing to and detracting from quality of life (QOL). Those with impaired vision (n = 135) had a visual acuity of 6/24 (i.e., 20/80) or worse in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a field of vision not greater than 20° at its widest diameter and had a mean age of 82.3 (SD = 6.76). Those with no significant impairment of vision (n = 425) were able read newsprint and legally drive and had a mean age of 74 (SD = 6.49). Overall, those with impaired vision reported a significantly lower level of life satisfaction in comparison to their sighted peers. There was a significant interaction effect of vision status and age, such that those with impaired vision aged 85+ reported life satisfaction scores higher than those reported by their sighted peers. Family and friends emerged as most important contributors to QOL for the vision-impaired group, where good health was the primary contributor to those with sight. Detractors to QOL reported by those with impaired vision included poor vision, inability to drive and poor health. Those with no significant impairment of vision reported poor health, physical impairment and poor finances detracted from QOL. Results could enable ageing and rehabilitation service providers to design rehabilitation programmes addressing areas reported to be most important to older adults with and without impaired vision.