June 2022
Volume 63, Issue 7
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2022
The impact of COVID-19 on adults with vision and/or hearing impairment in California
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Ken Kitayama
    Ophthalmology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
    Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Victoria Tseng
    Ophthalmology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Deyu Pan
    Ophthalmology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
    Biostatistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Fei Yu
    Ophthalmology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
    Biostatistics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Anne L. Coleman
    Ophthalmology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
    Epidemiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Ken Kitayama None; Victoria Tseng None; Deyu Pan None; Fei Yu None; Anne Coleman None
  • Footnotes
    Support  Unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness to the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2022, Vol.63, 2146 – A0174. doi:
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    • Get Citation

      Ken Kitayama, Victoria Tseng, Deyu Pan, Fei Yu, Anne L. Coleman; The impact of COVID-19 on adults with vision and/or hearing impairment in California. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2022;63(7):2146 – A0174.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose : To explore associations between sensory impairment (vision and/or hearing) and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the adult 2020 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) population.

Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2020 CHIS, the nation’s largest state health survey with a sample representative of the population of California. The exposure of interest was having sensory impairment, defined as answering “Yes” to the question, “Are you blind or deaf, or do you have a severe vision or hearing problem?” The outcome of interest was whether a health professional suspected the respondent had COVID-19, assessed among those adults who had or thought they had COVID-19 and contacted a health professional. Logistic regression models were constructed to determine the odds of suspected COVID-19 by sensory impairment status, controlling for the following covariates: age, sex, race/ethnicity, self-reported general health status, current smoking habits, overweight/obese body mass index, and current health insurance status. All analyses were weighted according to the CHIS sampling design.

Results : A total of 21,949 sampled participants were included, representing a weighted estimate of 29,684,882 individuals. The weighted prevalence of sensory impairment was 5.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.4-6.4%). Approximately 10.9% (95% CI: 10.3-11.6%) of all participants had or thought they had COVID-19, 4.9% (95% CI: 4.5-5.3%) contacted a health professional about COVID-19 concerns, and 1.7% (95% CI: 1.4-2.0%) were suspected of having COVID-19 by a health professional. Regression analyses were performed in a subgroup of 988 participants representing 1,431,690 individuals who had or thought they had COVID-19 and contacted a health professional. Those with sensory impairment had 2.12 times the unadjusted odds of suspected COVID-19 compared to those without sensory impairment (odds ratio [OR]: 2.12, 95% CI: 0.98-4.63). Those with sensory impairment had 2.51 times the adjusted odds of suspected COVID-19 compared to those without sensory impairment (adjusted OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.03-6.10).

Conclusions : In the 2020 CHIS adult population, individuals with vision and/or hearing impairment had greater odds of having COVID-19 suspected by a health professional. Additional studies are necessary to triangulate these findings and further explore this possible increased risk for COVID-19 in this vulnerable population.

This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.

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