Productivity Losses and Their Explanatory Factors Amongst People with Impaired Vision

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To estimate productivity losses amongst people with impaired vision in Portugal and to investigate explanatory factors associated with non-participation in the labour market.

Methods: A total of 546 visually impaired individuals participated in face-to-face interviews. Participants were asked about their workforce participation to determine productivity (employment status questionnaire), their health-related quality of life – HRQoL (EQ-5D) and their visual acuity and visual ability (Activity Inventory). Productivity losses included absenteeism and reduction in workforce participation. Logistic regression was used to determine independent factors associated with participation in the labour market.

Results: From the 546 participants, 50% were retired, 47% were of working age and 3% were students. The employment rate was 28%, and the unemployment rate was 21% for the working age sample. For those of working age, productivity losses were estimated at €1.51 million per year, mean of €5496 per participant. The largest contributor to productivity losses was reduced workforce participation, estimated from 159 early retired or unemployed participants. After controlling for visual acuity and ability, younger individuals, with more years of education, without comorbidities and high HRQoL had a higher probability of being employed.

Conclusions: Our findings show a high unemployment rate and high productivity losses amongst people with impaired vision. The probability of being employed was associated with education, HRQoL and comorbidities. We speculate that promoting education and health through effective visual rehabilitation programs may help to increase participation in the labour market. These findings can inform decisions to intervene to reduce the burden of vision loss.

KEYWORDS:

• Vision Impairment
• productivity losses
• patient reported outcomes measures
• employment
• HRQoL

Acknowledgments

Authors report on behalf of the Portuguese visual impairment study group (PORVIS-group): António Filipe Macedo, PhD, Research Project Principal Coordinator; Department of Medicine and Optometry Linnaeus University Kalmar, Sweden and Vision Rehabilitation Lab Centre/Department of Physics and Optometry University of Minho Braga, Portugal. Amandio Rocha-Sousa, MD, PhD, FEBO; Marta Silva, MD, ophthalmology resident; Sara Perestrelo, MD, ophthalmology resident; João Tavares-Ferreira, MD, Ophthalmologist; Ana Marta Oliveira, research coordinator; Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine University of Porto and/or Ophthalmology Department: Centro Hospitalar de São João. Cristina Freitas, MD Ophthalmologist; Keissy Sousa, MD Ophthalmologist; Ricardo Leite, MD, ophthalmology resident; José Carlos Mendes, MD, ophthalmology resident; Andreia Braga Soares, MD, ophthalmology resident; Rui Carneiro Freitas, MD, ophthalmology resident; Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital de Braga. Pedro Reimão, MD, Ophthalmologist; Marco Vieira, MD, Ophthalmologist; Joel Monteiro, MD, cardiology resident; Department of Ophthalmology, Centro Hospitalar de Alto Ave, Guimarães. Natacha Moreno, MD, Ophthalmologist; Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Sta Maria Maior, Barcelos. Gary Rubin, PhD (project adviser); UCL-Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK. Ana Patricia Marques, PhD candidate; Rui Santana, PhD; Research Project Coordinator; National School of Public Health, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal. Laura Hernandez-Moreno, PhD candidate; Pedro Lima, PhD candidate; Low Vision and Visual Rehabilitation Lab, Department and Center of Physics – Optometry and Vision Science, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal .

The lead author of this group is: António Filipe Macedo: [email protected]

We would like to acknowledge Hospital de Braga/Ophthalmology Department and Clinical and Academic Centre and Centro Hospitalar do Alto Ave for their help at selecting and recruiting participants for this study. Part of this work has been presented in ARVO2015 annual meeting, Denver, Colorado.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the FCT (COMPETE/QREN). [PTDC/DPT-EPI/0412/2012].