Impact of Glasses for Vision Problems on Cognitive Function in Rural Older Adults

Inclusion criteria

• Older adults who meet all of the following criteria will be eligible to participate in this study:

• Registered as a rural resident (holding rural household registration);
• Age from 60 to 79 years at the time of enumeration;
• Resident in the household for > = 3 months and planning to reside in the local area for the trial duration;
• Distance vision impairment (VI, presenting visual acuity [VA] < 6/12 in the better-seeing eye and improving to ≥ 6/7.5 or better in either eye with spectacle correction) and/or near VI (presenting near VA < 6/12 at 40 cm when measured binocularly and improving to ≥ 6/7.5 or better in either eye with near correction);
• Independent mobility with or without the support of a walking stick;
• Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (C-MMSE) score above the following cut-offs (out of 30): >17 for illiterate participants, >20 for those with primary school education, >22 for those with junior high school education, and >23 for those with high school education or above.
• Willingness to participate, to be randomized to either study group, and to adhere to the protocol

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of glaucoma or visually significant cataract, or a history of surgical treatment for these or other major ocular conditions;
• Consistent use of prescription spectacles and/or hearing aids;
• Serious medical illness likely to result in loss to follow-up. Those less severely affected by conditions such as hypertension and/or diabetes will be eligible;
• Failure on the whispered voice hearing screening test in the better ear (unable to repeat > = 3 out of 6 words whispered from behind the participant at a distance of 50 cm);