Eye health is essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; vision needs to be reframed as a development issue There is extensive evidence showing that improving eye health contributes directly and indirectly to achieving many Sustainable Development Goals, including reducing poverty and improving work productivity, general and mental health, and education and equity. Improving eye health is a practical and cost-effective way of unlocking human potential. Eye health needs to be reframed as an enabling, cross-cutting issue within the sustainable development framework. Almost everyone will experience impaired vision or an eye condition during their lifetime and require eye care services; urgent action is necessary to meet the rapidly growing eye health need In 2020, 1•1 billion people had distance vision impairment or uncorrected presbyopia. By 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 1•8 billion. Most affected people live in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) with avoidable causes of vision impairment. During the life course, most people will experience vision impairment, even if just the need for reading glasses. Because of unmet needs and an ageing global population, eye health is a major public health and sustainable development concern which warrants urgent political action. Eye health is an essential component of universal health coverage; it must be included in planning, resourcing, and delivery of health care Universal health coverage is not universal without affordable, high quality, equitable eye care. In line with the WHO World report on vision, we urge countries to consider eye care as an essential service within universal health coverage. To deliver comprehensive services including promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation, eye care needs to be included in national strategic health plans and development policies, health financing structures, and health workforce planning. Coordinated intersectoral action is needed to systematically improve population eye health, also within healthy ageing initiatives, schools, and the workplace. Integration of eye health services with multiple relevant components of health service delivery and at all levels of the health system is of central importance.

This article summarizes the presentations and recommendations of the tenth annual American Geriatrics Society and National Institute on Aging Bench-to-Bedside research conference, “Sensory Impairment and Cognitive Decline,” on October 2–3, 2017, in Bethesda, Maryland. The risk of impairment in hearing, vision, and other senses increases with age, and almost 15% of individuals aged 70 and older have dementia. As the number of older adults increases, sensory and cognitive impairments will affect a growing proportion of the population. To limit its scope, this conference focused on sensory impairments affecting vision and hearing. Comorbid vision, hearing, and cognitive impairments in older adults are more common than would be expected by chance alone, suggesting that some common mechanisms might affect these neurological systems. This workshop explored the mechanisms and consequences of comorbid vision, hearing, and cognitive impairment in older adults; effects of sensory loss on the aging brain; and bench-to-bedside innovations and research opportunities. Presenters and participants identified many research gaps and questions; the top priorities fell into 3 themes: mechanisms, measurement, and interventions. The workshop delineated specific research questions that provide opportunities to improve outcomes in this growing population. J Am Geriatr Soc 66:2052–2058, 2018.

IMPORTANCE Worsening vision and declining cognitive functioning are common conditions among elderly individuals. Understanding the association between them could be beneficial in mitigating age-related cognitive changes.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the longitudinal associations between visual impairment and cognitive function over time in a population-based study of older US adults. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSProspective longitudinal population-based study of older adults in the greater Salisbury area in Maryland. Overall, 2520 community-residing adults aged 65 to 84 years were assessed at baseline between September 1993 and August 1995 (round 1) and 2 (round 2), 6 (round 3), and 8 (round 4) years later. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Visual acuity (VA) was measured using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts, and cognitive status was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).RESULTS Of 2520 individuals, the mean (SD) age was 73.5 (5.1) years, 1458 (58%) were women, and 666 (26%) were black. There were 2240 (89%), 1504 (61%), and 1250 (50%) participants in the second, third, and fourth round of study, respectively, with more than half of the loss being due to death. Both VA and MMSE score worsened over time. The mean biannual decline of VA was 0.022 logMAR (approximately 1 line during 8 years; 95% CI, 0.018-0.026), and the mean biannual worsening of MMSE score was −0.59 (95% CI, −0.64 to −0.54; both P < .001). Worse baseline VA was associated with worse baseline MMSE score (r = −0.226; 95% CI, −0.291 to −0.16; P < .001). The rate of worsening VA was associated with the rate of declining MMSE score (r = −0.139; 95% CI, −0.261 to −0.017; P = .03). Cross-lagged models indicated VA in the previous round was associated with MMSE score in the subsequent round (β = −0.995, P < .001), and MMSE score in the previous round was associated with VA in the following round (β = −0.003, P < .001). However, the standardized effect size of VA on MMSE score (β = −0.074; SE, 0.015; P < .001) is larger relative to the reverse effect (β = −0.038; SE, 0.013; P < .001), demonstrating VA is likely the driving force in these dynamic associations. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn a population-based sample of older US adults, visual impairment measured at distance is associated with declining cognitive function both cross-sectionally and longitudinally over time with worsening vision having a stronger association with declining cognition than the reverse. Worsening vision in older adults may be adversely associated with future cognitive functioning. Maintaining good vision may be an important interventional strategy for mitigating age-related cognitive declines.