Low-Vision Rehabilitation in Patients with Visual and Cognitive Impairment

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of cognitive impairment among patients at a low-vision clinic and to determine whether low-vision rehabilitation (LVR) strategies improve visual function in these patients. Methods: We studied 50 consecutive patients presenting to a low-vision clinic. Folstein's Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered to screen for cognitive impairment. During the low-vision examination, visual acuity was measured with and without the use of optical low-vision aids. The percentage visual acuity improvement with the use of low-vision aids was calculated for each patient. Results: Of the 50 patients examined, 16 (32%) had an MMSE score less than 24. Of these 16 patients, 14 (87.5%) experienced an improvement in visual acuity using low-vision devices. The visual acuity improvement with low-vision aids was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Five of the 50 (10%) patients had MMSE scores less than 21. All five of these patients had improved visual acuity and function with low-vision devices. Conclusions: LVR strategies may be successfully provided to patients with visual impairments in the presence of simultaneous cognitive impairments.