Improved eyesight can cause falls in the elderly

An Australian study of more than 600 people aged 70 and over has found that those who underwent corrective eye surgery or received new glasses were 57% more likely to fall than those who did not receive treatment to improve their vision. They were 74% more likely to sustain fractures.

The research has been published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Professor Robert Cumming from the Epidemiology and Geriatric Medicine Department at the Concord Hospital in Sydney, said new glasses were the most common intervention in the study. Old, frail people may need a considerable period of time to adjust to new eyeglasses and could be at greater risk of falling during this time.

“In frail, older people, comprehensive vision and eye assessment, with appropriate treatment, does not reduce and may even increase the risk of falls and fractures,” he said.

The study warned eye-care professionals to prescribe conservatively and give appropriate advice about the need for caution during adaption to new eye-glasses.