Poor vision and falls: a deadly combination for older people

FRIDAY, Dec. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Older people with vision problems have a much higher risk of dangerous falls, new research confirms.

Compared to seniors with good vision, the likelihood of a fall increased by 38 percent in seniors with glaucoma, 36 percent in seniors with cataracts, and 25 percent in seniors with degeneration. Age-related macular disease (AMD), according to a team reporting Dec. 28 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

The research team reported that more than 650,000 people worldwide lose their lives each year due to falls and that falls can be particularly fatal for frail older people. In the United States, the medical costs of falls exceed $23 billion annually.

Vision loss is a clear risk factor for falls, and a team from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom wanted to measure that risk.

They analyzed data on visual health, falls and fractures from a British national database of more than 410,000 people. Participants were generally over 70 years of age at the time of the study.

In addition to the increased risk of falls associated with various vision-related diseases, the study also found an increased risk of bone fractures.

Compared with their peers with good vision, people with glaucoma were 31 percent more likely to have a fracture, those with cataracts had a 28 percent higher risk, and those with AMD faced a lower risk. The Manchester group found that 18 per cent more.

Injuries included fractures of the hip, spine, forearm, skull or facial bones, pelvis, ribs or sternum, and lower leg.

Although vision loss increases the risk of these injuries, “most of these eye diseases can be prevented or treated,” said the team led by Jang Yin Tsang of the university’s Primary Care and Health Services Research Center. Said.

Regular eye exams may be important for older people, the researchers said, because “in the early stages of eye disease, patients are often asymptomatic and unaware of visual impairment.”

In addition to receiving early diagnosis and treatment of vision problems, older people with AMD, cataracts or glaucoma may also “benefit from better counseling, access, and referrals to fall prevention services,” Tsang’s group said.

more information

You can learn more about the connection between poor vision and falls from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: JAMA Ophthalmology, December 28, 2023