International Journal of Social Science Studies Vol. 1, No. 1; April 2013 ISSN 2324-8033 E-ISSN 2324-8041 Published by Redfame Publishing 47 The Impact of Self-reported Visual Disability on Quality of Life among Older Persons in a Rural Area of Northeast Thailand: A Follow-up Study Phatcha Hirunwatthanakul 1 , Steven La Grow 1 , Barry Borman 2 & Yogesan Kanagasingam 3 1 School of Health and Social Services, Massey University, New Zealand 2 Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, New Zealand 3 Australian E-Health Research Centre, Australia Correspondence: Phatcha Hirunwatthanaku, School of Health and Social Services, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. E-mail: hphatcha@hotmail.com Received: November 19, 2012 Accepted: December 19, 2012 Available online: January 4, 2013 doi:10.11114/ijsss.v1i1.20 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v1i1.20 Abstract A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to follow-up an earlier study which estimated the prevalence of self-reported visual disability and its impact on the quality of life (QOL) of older persons living in a rural area of Northeast Thailand based on a secondary analysis of data collected for another purpose. Self-reported difficulty with seeing was used to determine prevalence of visual disability. The WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD were used to assess the impact of visual disability on QOL. Fifty nine percent reported having difficulty seeing to the extent that it interfered with their daily life. Those who reported having difficulty with seeing were found to be older, disproportionately female, have lower perception of health, and to score lower on QOL than those who did not. The findings of this study differed from the earlier study. It is asserted that the findings from this latter study are likely to be more representative of the situation due to the use of a more systematic and targeted sampling procedure. Keywords: older persons, prevalence, quality of life, Thailand, visual disability 1. Introduction Currently, Thailand is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of older persons in the population. According to the United Nations, the proportion of the Thai population aged 60 and older rose from 5% to 8.1% between 1975 and 2000 and is expected to reach 25% by 2040 (United Nations Development Programme, 2005). The increase in the proportion of older persons in this country poses a challenge to the public health system as with increasing age comes a decline in physical function and an increase in the prevalence of age related health conditions including visual disability (Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, 2008). However, there is little data available regarding the prevalence of visual disability among older people in Thailand, particularly those living in rural areas who are most likely to be disadvantaged. In addition, there are no studies which have comprehensively examined the impact of disability on quality of life (QOL) among this population. A study to assess the impact of feelings of abandonment among older persons (i.e., 60 years and older) in a remote, rural area of Northeast Thailand, found a higher than expected rate of self-reported visual disability (48% of the participants reported having difficulty seeing to the extent that it interfered with their daily life) (Sudnongbua, LaGrow, & Boddy, 2010). Further analysis of these data revealed that those who reported having difficulty seeing had lower QOL scores than those who did not (LaGrow, Sudnongbua, & Boddy, 2011b). However, it is hard to determine the extent to which these findings may be generalized to the total population of older persons in this region as the sample was not selected for the purpose of assessing the rate of visual disability nor its impact on QOL. The present study was designed to address these issues by applying strict survey methodologies to produce accurate rates of visual disability in this population. The findings of this study will be of use in determining both the extent and consequences of visual disability in this specific population and provide evidence for future planning of health and social services for older persons living in rural areas of this region.