World News: Good Vision Leads to Longer Life

Researchers in Australia have confirmed links between untreatable vision problems and a shorter life span (October Issues of Archives of Ophthalmology). Their study shows that visual impairment is linked to an increased risk of death because of higher incidences of accidental injury, depression, low body weight, difficulties in walking, an increased likelihood of falls, lower rates of physical activity, cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancer. They concluded that 'The impact of visual impairment on mortality may in fact be greater than that reported from previous studies that have used traditional statistical models.