Vision and falls

Abstract

Falls occur in about one third of older people living independently in the community every year. This can lead to significant physical, psychological and financial costs to the individual and the community. While the risk factors for falls in older people are multifactorial, poor vision is considered to be an important contributing factor. The aim of this review is to evaluate current research linking impaired visual function with falls and to review current intervention strategies for the prevention of falls in older individuals. The evidence from the current literature indicates that impairment of visual functions, such as visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual fields and depth perception, is associated with an increased risk of falls. Recent studies have also demonstrated that falls can be reduced following cataract surgery as a visual intervention. Optometrists need to be aware of these associations and through appropriate treatment, referral and/or education, they can play a major role in optimising visual function in older people, as part of a multidisciplinary approach to falls prevention.

Age-Related Eye Disease and Mobility Limitations in Older Adults

“…The lack of association between eye disease and falls was surprising to us, given that various measures of visual function have been associated with falls in other research. 15,[42][43][44][45][46] Few studies have examined falls in a population of patients with eye disease. One study found that glaucoma patients had more than three times the odds of a self-reported fall than did controls (OR ϭ 3.71; 95% CI, 1.14, 12.05).…”

The relationship between visual function, duration and main causes of vision loss and falls in older people with low vision

“…For example, a number of studies have demonstrated that contrast sensitivity can increase the risks of falls [15,18,20], while others have failed to replicate such findings [17,21,22]. Some studies have reported the role of depth perception and visual field in falls [23]. These findings indicate an equivocal role of visual function as a mechanism for falls, and suggest that further research in this area is needed.…”

Binocular Visual‐Field Loss Increases the Risk of Future Falls in Older White Women

“…Studies examining the association between visual field loss and frequent falling are limited and inconclusive. 15,16,[24][25][26] Although studies have reported an association between visual field loss in one eye and frequent falling, none of them has shown an association between binocular visual field loss and falls. Binocular visual fields represent how a person functions in the world because the visual fields in both eyes almost completely overlap one another.…”