Self-Reported Visual Difficulty and Depressive Symptoms in Adults Aged 60 Years and Older in Peru

Aim: To estimate the association between self-reported visual difficulty and depressive symptoms among adults aged 60 years and older in Peru during 2020. Methods: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2020 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) was conducted. The exposure variable was self-reported visual difficulty, and the outcome variable was the presence of depressive symptoms, assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Multiple potential confounding variables were also included. Crude and adjusted ordinal logistic regression models were fitted, and odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated. All analyses were weighted to account for the complex sampling design of ENDES 2020. Results: Data from 5066 Peruvians aged 60 years and older were analysed. Overall, 28.0% reported visual difficulty, and 30.3% presented depressive symptoms. In the adjusted ordinal logistic regression model, individuals with visual difficulty had 2.27 times higher cumulative odds of being in a more severe category of depressive symptoms compared with those without visual difficulty (OR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.86–2.77), after adjusting for multiple potential confounders. Conclusions: In Peru, self-reported visual difficulty was associated with greater severity of depressive symptoms among adults aged 60 years and older in 2020. These findings highlight the importance of integrating visual function assessment into mental health screening and intervention strategies for the older adult population.