A new study published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases suggests elderly dialysis patients suffer high rates of visual impairment. 

Researchers studied over 150 elderly dialysis patients and 39 percent of the participants had significant visual impairment, compared to 28 percent of healthy people over the age of 70. More than 90 percent of patients in the study had problems with overall vision functioning, 37 percent had poor contrast sensitivity and 31 percent failed the depth perception test.
 
Investigators of the studies think the high level of visual problems in dialysis patients may be due to the large percentage of this population suffering from diabetes and hypertension. 

This article originally appeared in the January 2009 issue of Renal Flash.