Don’t be blind to the risk of falls.
Poor vision more than doubles your risk of taking a tumble[1].
Not only can impaired or low vision prevent you spotting hazards it can also affect your balance – just close your eyes for a moment or two and you’ll begin to feel yourself sway; in fact, sway increases 50 per cent or more with eyes closed compared with eyes open[2].
Our vision steadily declines as we age so it’s no surprise that poor vision is a major contributory factor to falls in the over-60s. Around one in three adults over 65 who live at home have at least one fall a year, and about half of these will experience falls more frequently[3].
Falls can be distressing and impact on your quality of life. In extreme cases fall related injuries can even lead to death. More than five thousand people in the UK died as a result of a fall in 2017[4].
Three quarters of older people who suffer a fall as a result of poor vision had a visual impairment that was easily correctable[5]. This could be as simple as getting a new prescription for your glasses or having cataract surgery.
Regular sight tests are important for everyone to keep your eyes and vision healthy. Sight tests are free for the over 60s as they are paid for by the NHS. If you require prescription eyewear talk to your dispensing optician about appropriate uses for your glasses. If you have more than one pair, it can sometimes be confusing deciding which pair to wear for which task. A simple coding system such as putting a red dot on your reading glasses – red for reading – could help prevent vision impairment because you’re wearing the wrong glasses.
For more advice and information about caring for your eyes after retirement click the image below to download our Guide to Retiring with Good Vision.
[1] Visual impairment increases the risk of suffering a fall by 2.5 times [Rubenstein and Josephson 2002].
[2] Lord SR, Ward JA, Williams P, Anstey KJ. Physiologicalfactors associated with falls in older community-dwelling women. J Am Geriatr Soc 1994; 42: 1110–7.14.Lord SR, Clark RD, Webster IW. Postural stability andassociated physiological factors in a population of agedpersons. J Gerontology 1991; 46: M69–76
[3] Generation Eye Report 2017
[4] More than 5,000 older people in the UK died due to a fall in 2017 [ONS]
[5] Jack CI, et al. Gerontology.