The Impact of Reduced Vision on Falls for Community-Dwelling Older People: A Literature Review

Karen Pedemont DOBA DipAppSc(Orth) MAppSc(Res) 1
Neryla Jolly DOBA(T) MA 2,3,4
Robert Heard BA(Hons) PhD MAPS 5
Lindy Clemson PhD MAppSc(Res) BAppSc(OT) DipOT 5

1 Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, Bankstown, Australia
2 Epping Eye Surgery, Epping, Australia
3 Graduate School of Health, University of Technology. Sydney, Australia
4 Royal Rehabilitation Hospital, Ryde, Australia
5 Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia

Aim: To explore detailed studies and reveal the complex relationships between the elements of vision and falls risk for community-dwelling older people.

Method: A thematic literature review was conducted of detailed studies published in a 10-year period and their direct references that reported on reduced vision as a risk factor for falls for community-dwelling older people.

Results: Seven publications were analysed based on the elements of vision they reported, including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity including low contrast visual acuity, depth perception and visual field. The literature suggests that contrast sensitivity including low contrast visual acuity is more informative regarding falls risk in this population, than the other elements of vision.

Conclusion: The relationship between reduced vision and falls for community-dwelling older people is an important and complex one. The lack of standard methods of assessing vision in falls research creates an opportunity to further explore vision as a risk factor for falls in this group.