To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with uncorrected presbyopia among rural community dwellers in Japan. Study design: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 among community dwellers aged 40 to 74 years who received specific health checkups in Minamiaizu and Tadami, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.Methods Uncorrected presbyopia was considered as when the distance-corrected visual acuity in the better eye was ≥0.5 and the near-presenting visual acuity in the better eye was <0.4, regardless of distance refractive status. Multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for uncorrected presbyopia and to adjust for possible confounders.Results A total of 2054 individuals participated in the specific health checkups. In the 1156 individuals (response rate: 56.28%) analyzed in the study, the mean (SD) age was 63.0 (8.68) years, the percentage of women was higher (57.87%), and the prevalence of uncorrected presbyopia was 26.38% (95% CI: 23.86%-29.03%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the factors associated with uncorrected presbyopia were older age (adjusted OR: 1.054 [95% CI: 1.034-1.075]), female sex (adjusted OR: 1.388 [95% CI:1.006-1.915]), and distance-presenting vision impairment ). ConclusionApproximately one-quarter of the participants in this study from a rural population of Japan did not have adequate near vision. It is recommended that a public health intervention should be enacted to correct presbyopia, especially in the older age group, women, and those with uncorrected refractive errors.

Background Parvimonas micra is known as a causative agent of chronic periodontal disease. This Gram-positive obligate anaerobic coccus was cultured from the ocular surface of blowout fracture-related orbital cellulitis progressing to panophthalmitis. Case presentation The patient was a woman in her fifties who had panic disorder and subsequently was a victim of domestic violence. These factors led to delayed consultation. At the initial visit to an ophthalmologist, the ocular surface of the right eye was covered with pus. Swelling of the upper and lower eyelids prevented the eyelid from closing and exophthalmos, severe corneal ulcer, panophthalmitis, and no light perception were observed. Head computed tomography revealed an old blowout fracture and chronic sinusitis with orbital cellulitis. P. micra were isolated from culture of pus samples from the sinus and from the ocular surface. Conclusions There is a possibility that P. micra invaded the orbit via the fragile bony site and caused orbital cellulitis, severe corneal ulcer, and panophthalmitis that required enucleation. In cases of coexisting old blowout fracture and chronic sinusitis, the chronic sinusitis should be treated as quickly as possible.

Background While it has been recognized that visual impairment is associated with poor self-rated health (SRH), in addition to various negative health outcomes of visual impairment, the number of older adults with visual impairment is increasing due to population aging. As increasing evidence has been found for the effectiveness of social participation on good SRH, we examined whether there was an association between social participation and SRH and investigated whether the effect differed by visual status. Methods Questionnaire data on self-reported visual status, social participation, socioeconomic status, and SRH were obtained in 2016. A total of 24,313 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and over participated. We examined the association of social participation and SRH status among older adults with visual impairment. Stratified analysis and analysis with an interaction term between social participation and visual status were also conducted. Social participation was assessed by the number of participating groups (no participation, one, two, and three or more). Results Overall visual impairment prevalence was 9.3% (95% CI: 8.9–9.7). Among those with and without visual impairment, prevalence of poor SRH was 38.4 and 13.1%, respectively. However, the association between social participation with SRH was similar, especially for those who participated in one or two groups. For people with (PR = 0.54) and without visual impairment (PR = 0.50), those who participated in two groups showed lower prevalence ratios for poor SRH compared to people without social participation. Conclusion Social participation showed a beneficial association with SRH among older adults with visual impairment. Future interventions could focus on the potentially positive role of social participation on SRH among older adults with visual impairment.

ObjectiveAlthough the beneficial effects of laughter are abundantly reported, the physical function that is required as a premise for laughter has not been studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between visual status and frequency of laughter in a population-based sample of older adults.Methods and analysisWe analysed cross-sectional data of community-dwelling independent individuals aged ≥65 years (n=19 452) in Japan. The outcomes were frequency of laughter and number of opportunities to laugh. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis with multiple imputations to investigate the association between visual status and laughter.ResultsThe number of participants who laughed almost every day was 8197 (42.1%). After adjusting for individual covariates in the multivariable logistic regression analysis with multiple imputations, visual status was found to be significantly associated with the frequency of laugher and the number of opportunities to laugh (p for trend <0.01). Compare to ‘normal vision’, while excellent/very good vision was associated with increased frequency and number of opportunities to laugh (ORs: 1.72 and 1.25, respectively), poor vision decreased the frequency and number of opportunities to laugh (ORs: 0.86 and 0.87, respectively).ConclusionsThere is a link between visual impairment and laughter, with poor vision having a negative impact while good vision has a positive effect. Improving vision may lead to laughter promotion.

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