Health utility values associated with vision impairment among the elderly in Hong Kong: a community-based study using EQ-5D-5 L and time trade-off

There were generally lower utility values for community dwelling elders with VI compared to no VI, with significant reductions of uncorrectable VI due to eye diseases in health utility among older adults living in the community. In contrast, correctable VI due to URE did not significantly affect utility values, suggesting that generic instruments like EQ-5D-5 L and TTO may lack sensitivity to detect the burden of milder, reversible vision loss. These findings provide essential data for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of community eye care programs and highlight the need for more targeted quality-of-life measures in vision research.