Vision Impairments May Increase Risk of Falls in Older Adults

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests people need to know how often visually impaired older adults fall, and what happens to them afterwards, in order to understand the scope of the problem and develop preventive strategies, reports News-Medical . Older adults with impaired vision may be at risk for decreased independence, poorer well-being, and a greater risk of falls. In any given year, about 30 percent of adults over 65 will fall, a risk more than doubled in those with impaired vision. The researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, concluding that falls, fear of falling, and limiting activity were considerably more frequent among visually impaired older adults. About half of persons who said they had difficulty seeing were afraid of falling, and restrained their activity as a result. More than one in four older adults with vision problems experienced recurrent falls in the year before they were surveyed. The researchers said their study implied that taking steps to prevent falls for older adults with vision problems was valuable, and could limit the damage of falls. They also noted helping older adults prevent falls may also slow declines in well-being, quality of life, and independence associated with a fear of falling.