Visual problems and falls.
Visual impairment is a risk factor for falls, on average approximately doubling falls risk in a wide variety of studies. Falls risk increases as visual impairment worsens. The relationship is almost certainly causal. Vision accounts for perhaps a quarter to a half of all falls, although this estimate is imprecise. Visual impairment in 70% or more of elderly people is remediable with relatively simple interventions (correcting refractive errors and cataract surgery), making it an important potential target for intervention at the population level. However, no intervention has yet been proven to reduce falls risk in a randomized controlled trial.
Harwood
R H
RH
Department of Health Care of the Elderly, Queen's Medica Centre, Nottingham, UK. rowan.harwood@ntlworld.com
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003867:Depth Perception; D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011187:Posture; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity