Self-Reported Visual Disability and Unemployment: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To investigate the association between visual impairment and employment status due to disability, utilizing data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

Methods

Adults 18 years of age and older were extracted from the 2022 NHIS dataset. A multivariable logistic regression model was created to evaluate the odds of unemployment (“laid off” and “looking for work”). Persons over the age of 65, as well as persons retired, going to school, self-employed, seasonal, or contract workers were excluded. Independent variables for the model included gender, race, Hispanic ethnicity, urban residency, level of education, citizenship, and self-reported vision. The latter variable was categorized as seeing with “some” difficulty, with “severe” difficulty, “can’t see at all,” and “a lot of difficulty.” Outcomes were reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

Associations with unemployment included education less than high school (OR 6.05, 95% CI: 3.98-9.18) and high school (OR 3.80, 95% CI 2.78-5.21); severe vision difficulty (OR 3.68 95% CI 1.73-7.86); Asian race (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.64-3.89); and Black race (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.31-2.41). The odds of unemployment were marginally elevated for those living in large metropolitan areas, while being born in the United States had a modest protective effect (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.42-0.66).

Conclusion

The degree of visual impairment in this post-COVID-19 pandemic survey substantially affects employment, which is consistent with historical studies. Education among those with impaired vision is an important and modifiable variable that can positively influence the chances of employment.

KEYWORDS:

• Unemployment
• visual impairment
• health disparities
• minorities
• immigration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the National Eye Institute 1R01EY034444-01 Health Disparities in Utilization, Quality, and Outcomes for Three Common Ocular Conditions (HealthDOC) and an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, NY (French DD and Kanwar K).