Prevalence of self-reported visual impairment among people in Canada with and without diabetes: findings from population-based surveys from 1994 to 2014

Abstract

V isual impairment substantially affects individuals' independence and quality of life, and risk of acci dents, injuries, falls and depression. [1][2][3][4] Diabetes is a leading cause of visual impairment resulting from diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. 5 In Canada, the incidence of diabetes fluctuated and the prevalence of dia betes increased 37.3% between 2003/04 and 2013/14. 6 In 2016/17, the number of people in Canada living with dia betes was 3.2 million, which increased to 5.7 million in 2022. 7,8 Contributing factors to this increase include people in Canada with diabetes now living longer and the growth and aging of the Canadian population. 6 Given the fastrising prevalence of diabetes, it is important to know whether the prevalence of visual impairment has also increased so that strategies and policies for prevention and management of visual impairment can be developed. We sought to assess time trends in visual impairment prevalence among people in Canada with and without diabetes from 1994/95 to 2013/14 and to determine whether the trends were similar among people in Canada with different levels of education and income. MethodsThis study was set in 10 Canadian provinces (Alberta,