title: Prismatic displacement effect of progressive multifocal glasses on reaction time and accuracy in elderly people.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multifocal glasses (bifocals, trifocals, and progressives) increase the risk of falling in elderly people, but how they do so is unclear. To explain why glasses with progressive addition lenses increase the risk of falls and whether this can be attributed to false projection, this study aimed to 1) map the prismatic displacement of a progressive lens, and 2) test whether this displacement impaired reaction time and accuracy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The reaction times of healthy ≥75-year-olds (31 participants) were measured when grasping for a bar and touching a black line. Participants performed each test twice, wearing their progressives and new, matched single vision (distance) glasses in random order. The line and bar targets were positioned according to the maximum and minimum prismatic displacement effect through the progressive lens, mapped using a focimeter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Progressive spectacle lenses have large areas of prismatic displacement in the central visual axis and edges. Reaction time was faster for progressives compared with single vision glasses with a centrally-placed horizontal grab bar (mean difference 101 ms, P=0.011 [repeated measures analysis]) and a horizontal black line placed 300 mm below center (mean difference 80 ms, P=0.007). There was no difference in accuracy between the two types of glasses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older people appear to adapt to the false projection of progressives in the central visual axis. This adaptation means that swapping to new glasses or a large change in prescription may lead to a fall. Frequently updating glasses may be more beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Dunedin School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ashton C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.affiliation: Dunedin School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A John
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Dunedin School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M Clare
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Dunedin School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Gordon F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Sanderson
keywords: fall prevention; false projection; stored visual spatial information