@article{ref1,
title="Clinical and economic burden of visual impairment in an aging society of South Korea",
journal="Asia-Pacific journal of public health",
year="2015",
author="Park, Hae-Young and Ryu, Hyunnam and Kang, Hye-Young and Lee, Hankil and Kwon, Jin-Won",
volume="27",
number="6",
pages="631-642",
abstract="Whereas the incidence of visual impairment and blindness (VI&B) is decreasing, the total number of VI&B is increasing due to the growth of elderly population. To compare the clinical and economic outcomes of patients with and without VI&B (ie, cases and controls) in Korea, a case-control study was performed using the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patients Sample data. Cases had higher prevalence for all of the Charlson Comorbidity Index components, depression, fracture, and injury as well as eye diseases compared to age- and sex-matched controls. In regression after adjustment of concomitant diseases, cases had 2.7 times (95% confidence interval = 2.3-3.2) higher medical expenditure than controls. The results of this study confirm that patients with VI&B have significantly higher direct medical expenditures and concomitant diseases than those without VI&B and highlight the need for a public health strategy to reduce potentially avoidable costs attributed to VI&B.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1010-5395",
doi="10.1177/1010539515588944",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1010539515588944"
}