Assessment
- Aging and Your Eyes – National Institute on Aging
Interventions
- Ensure patients are visiting an ophthalmologist or optometrist annually or as appropriate to address vision impairment. Annual vision exams are covered by OHIP for patients over the age of 65.
- Treat vision impairment, including cataracts, macular degeneration & glacoma.
- Educate patient and family regarding how to minimize falls related to vision
- CNIB offers practical tips to help protect eyes and prevent vision loss
- Single-lens glasses (versus multifocal lenses) have been shown to reduce falls for people spending a great deal of time outdoors (Gillespie et al., 2012).
- If seniors are looking through the reading portion in the lower part of their bifocals when descending stairs this can distort depth perception and contribute to falls. If bifocal lenses are required at all times, it is recommended that seniors tuck their chins and look out the upper distance portion of their glasses when ambulating on these uneven surfaces.
- The installation of good lighting, easily accessible light switches and night lights is also recommended.
Resources:
- Use of Single-Vision Distance Spectacles ImprovesLanding Control during Step Descent in Well-Adapted Multifocal Lens-Wearers – Matthew A. Timmis,1 Louise Johnson,2 David B. Elliott,*,3 and John G. Buckley*,1
- The Glenn A. Fry Award Lecture 2013:Blurred Vision, Spectacle Correction,and Falls in Older Adults – David B. Elliott*