Vision in the Elderly – A Need for Public Awareness?

R.A.Mitchell, MSc, Med, DipAppSci(Cumb), DOBA

It is contended that visual decline in the elderly is considered to be due to first acceptance of this as part of the “elderly” role and second due to public and professional ignorance. This contention is supported by the responses of 264 persons to a forced-choice and open-ended questionnaire.
Knowledge is compared between non allied health and allied health groups and while most are aware of some ocular diseases associated with aging little was knows about senile macular degeneration.
There exists a definite role for the orthoptist in educating the public about change in visual status associated with aging and the need for early and regular ophthalmological assessment.
Where loss of vision is medically diagnosed as inevitable there is a need for the establishment of an Australia-wide counselling service.
Finally the orthoptist can play a valuable role in the visual screening of adults and in educating allied health personnel to the changes in vision associated with aging.