Relationship between visual status and functional status and the risk of falls in women. The RAC-OST-POL study

Abstract

IntroductionFalls in elderly women producing fractures are a public health problem that could be largely preventable. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of visual impairment on functional status, falls and fractures in women.Material and methodsWe examined 623 women aged ≥ 55 years in order to assess the association between visual status and functional status and the risk of falls and fractures. Distance, near visual acuity, and depth perception were examined. Functional status was assessed using the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) tests. The history of falls in the last 12 months and prior osteoporotic fractures were recorded.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 66.01 ±7.76 years. Distance visual acuity was correlated (r = –0.13, p < 0.0001) with an increased number of falls. The most prognostic fall factor was IADL (Z = 3.19, p < 0.05), which showed a significant association with distance acuity (r = 0.27, p < 0.0001). The TUG test time significantly increased with diminishing visual acuity: 10.6 ±3.1 s for good, 12.8 ±6.1 s for moderate and 15.3 ±8.8 s for poor visual acuity (p < 0.0001, ANOVA 24.4). The IADL also differs significantly (p < 0.0001) in subgroups divided according to visual acuity (23.6 ±1.5, 22.6 ±2.9, 21.2 ±4.8 points, respectively). In multivariate logistic regression on probability of falls including IADL, TUG and visual acuity, IADL was found to be an independent prognostic factor (p = 0.025). The data revealed no association of refractive correction, depth perception, or near visual acuity with fall incidence or history of fractures.ConclusionsVisual acuity influences functional status and number of falls in women aged over 55 years.

The evaluation of geriatric patients who presented with trauma to the emergency department

“…Risk of falling increases with aging due to the progression of physiological changes such as decreases in vision and hearing perceptions, decreases in motor strength as well as due to the medications being used [36, 37]. It has been stated that this risk is higher in patients above 75 years of age [11, 12].…”

Synergistic associations of visual and self-reported hearing acuity with low handgrip strength in older adults: a population-based cross-sectional study

“…Sensory impairments, including visual and/or hearing impairments, are associated with several problems that can arise in old age. Primarily, research has reported an association between vision and increased frequency of falls and an increase in the risk of recurrent falls in older women due to visual impairment [ 15 , 16 ]. Furthermore, greater frailty, measured by gait speed, grip strength, peak expiratory flow rate, and the ability to rise from a chair without arm support, is associated with poorer visual functions [ 17 ].…”

Fracture risk and fracture prevalence in women from outpatient osteoporosis clinic and subjects from population-based sample: A comparison between GO Study and RAC-OST-POL cohorts

“…This cohort was then studied in regard to various aspects of bone health. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] More recently, we presented data from a large group of female patients enrolled when attending a single outpatient osteoporosis clinic; this research was published in consecutive papers and identified with the acronym GO Study. [13][14][15] In recent years, methods for fracture risk assessment were developed, 12,[16][17][18] and fracture risk assessment became an important part of the examination of patients.…”