- NEW YORK (Reuters Health)
- A single pair of glasses that corrects both close and distant vision
may increase the risk of falls in older adults, researchers report.
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- Their study of 156 men and women aged 63 to 90 years
found that those who wore such multifocal glasses were more than twice
as likely as those with other types of glasses to fall at some point in
the next year, either outside their homes or walking up or down stairs.
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- Adults who wore multifocals also performed poorly on
tests of depth perception for targets positioned at ground level and two
steps in front of them. This distance, the researchers explain, is a critical
distance for discerning potential dangers when walking.
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- The 87 adults (56%) who wore multifocal glasses regularly
were tested twice for their ability to detect objects while walking. First,
their chins were positioned on a chin rest so they were able to look down
through the lower portion of their glasses only. The chin rest was removed
in a second test so that they could move their head to look down.
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- The findings, published in the November issue of the
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, may serve as a red flag for
elderly adults and their eye doctors. While the glasses may be convenient
and appropriate for younger adults, they may not be appropriate for older
adults, who may suffer from declining strength, balance and lower limb
sensation.
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- "Multifocal glasses appear to increase the risk
of a tripping fall by reducing the capacity of older people to perceive
obstacles in the environment," Dr. Stephen R. Lord and colleagues
from the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute in Randwick, Australia,
conclude.
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- Unfamiliar settings outside the home that include steps,
curbs, and uneven ground may be particularly dangerous.
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- In the study, the 12% of multifocal lens wearers who
decided not to wear their glasses when walking outside did not have an
increased risk of falling, according to the report.
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- "Viewing the environment through the lower lenses
of multifocal glasses adversely affects the important visual capabilities
for detecting environmental hazards, which predisposes older people to
falls, particularly in challenging or unfamiliar environments," the
researchers write.
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- SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2002;50.
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