title: Relationship between functional vision and balance and mobility performance in community-dwelling older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vision is an important prerequisite for balance control and mobility. The role of objectively measured visual functions has been previously studied but less is known about associations of functional vision, that refers to self-perceived vision-based ability to perform daily activities. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between functional vision and balance and mobility performance in a community-based sample of older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is part of a Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for the Good Care of the Elderly project (GeMS). Participants (576) aged 76-100 years (mean age 81 years, 70 % women) were interviewed using a seven-item functional vision questionnaire (VF-7). Balance and mobility were measured by the Berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go (TUG), chair stand test, and maximal walking speed. In addition, self-reported fear of falling, depressive symptoms (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale), cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination) and physical activity (Grimby) were assessed. In the analysis, participants were classified into poor, moderate, or good functional vision groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The poor functional vision group (n = 95) had more comorbidities, depressed mood, cognition decline, fear of falling, and reduced physical activity compared to participants with moderate (n = 222) or good functional vision (n = 259). Participants with poor functional vision performed worse on all balance and mobility tests. After adjusting for gender, age, chronic conditions, and cognition, the linearity remained statistically significant between functional vision and BBS (p = 0.013), TUG (p = 0.010), and maximal walking speed (p = 0.008), but not between functional vision and chair stand (p = 0.069).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor functional vision is related to weaker balance and mobility performance in community-dwelling older adults. This highlights the importance of widespread assessment of health, including functional vision, to prevent balance impairment and maintain independent mobility among older population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (LL), FIN 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland, eeva.m.aartolahti@jyu.fi.
authors.forename: Eeva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aartolahti
authors.forename: Arja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Häkkinen
authors.forename: Eija
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lönnroos
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kautiainen
authors.forename: Raimo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sulkava
authors.forename: Sirpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartikainen
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*