Aims To examine the relationship between vision impairment (VI) and employment outcomes in a multiethnic Asian population. Methods We included 7608 Asian individuals aged ≥40 years (mean (SD) age: 58.4 (10.3) years; 64.8% male) from the Singapore Epidemiology Eye Disease Study (response rate: 78.8%), a population-based cohort study (mean follow-up period: 6.2 years). Presenting visual acuity (VA) was assessed using a logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) chart, with VI defined as mild (VA >0.3 to <0.6 logMAR) and moderate to severe (VA ≥0.6 logMAR). Self-reported employment statuses at both baseline and follow-up were used as outcomes. Underemployment was defined as a decline in occupational skill level, categorised by International Standard Classification of Occupations, at follow-up compared with baseline. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine independent associations between VI and various employment outcomes, adjusted for variables that were found to significantly differ across employment statuses. Results Presenting VI was prevalent in 20.2% (N=1536) of participants. Compared with those without VI, participants with mild and moderate to severe VI were more likely to be unemployed at baseline (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.87, p=0.002 and 2.74, 95% CI 1.94 to 3.89, p<0.001, respectively). At follow-up, participants with any VI at baseline were more likely to be underemployed (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.05, p=0.033). Conclusion VI, even when mild, is associated with unemployment and underemployment. Future studies should investigate whether visual interventions could be used as part of a multipronged strategy to improve employment outcomes for the population. Data are available on reasonable request. Data are available upon reasonable request.

中文翻译：

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视力障碍与就业的关系

目的 研究多民族亚洲人口中视力障碍 (VI) 与就业结果之间的关系。方随访期：6.2 年）。呈现视力 (VA) 使用最小分辨率角 (logMAR) 图表的对数进行评估，VI 定义为轻度（VA >0.3 至 <0.6 logMAR）和中度至重度（VA ≥0.6 logMAR）。自我报告的基线和后续就业状况被用作结果。就业不足被定义为职业技能水平下降，根据国际标准职业分类，在后续行动中与基线相比。多项逻辑回归模型用于确定 VI 与各种就业结果之间的独立关联，并根据发现在不同就业状态下存在显着差异的变量进行调整。结果呈现 VI 在 20.2% (N=1536) 的参与者中很普遍。与没有 VI 的人相比，轻度和中度至重度 VI 的参与者在基线时更有可能失业（OR 1.47，95% CI 1.15 至 1.87，p=0.002 和 2.74，95% CI 1.94 至 3.89，p<0.001，分别）。在后续行动中，基线时具有任何 VI 的参与者更有可能未充分就业（OR 1.46，95% CI 1.03 至 2.05，p=0.033）。结论 VI，即使是温和的，也与失业和就业不足有关。未来的研究应该调查视觉干预是否可以作为多管齐下战略的一部分来改善人口的就业结果。可应合理要求提供数据。可根据合理要求提供数据。