Is your vision affecting your lifestyle choices?
Optometrists Association Australia says eye checks are a simple way to help maintain well-being and independence for longer, without having to change lifestyles, and says that visual impairment could double the risk of falls in older Australians, a leading cause for hospital admissions among the older population.
However, Optometrists Association Australia’s professional services manager, Shirley Loh, said fall-related injuries can be avoided through early detection of eye disease and undertaking regular eye examinations.
“Regular eye examinations provide the best chance of maintaining your well-being and independence longer,” said Ms Loh.
“Many older Australians are suffering simply because they do not wear spectacles, or use spectacles with prescriptions that are out of date. Changes to eye health can be gradual, and serious conditions can progress without any obvious symptoms. With early detection, many eye diseases are treatable or preventable”.
Even the slightest change in vision can seriously impact on the quality of people’s lives and their safety. Increased rates of eye diseases among older Australians can cause key vision problems that may contribute to falls, injuries and fractures.
Problems include reduced visual clarity, narrower visual field, reduced sensitivity to contrast and poor perception of depth, which can affect our ability to spot hazards in our path or to judge the position of steps.
Older Australians should not accept poor vision as a way of life. Eye examinations attract a Medicare rebate and Government subsidised spectacles are sometimes available.
