Although many factors may be linked to falls it has been shown that problems with vision are amongst the more important.
Every year more than 3 million people aged over 65 will have a fall. Falls are the leading cause of disability and the leading cause of death from injury among people over 75 in the UK. Falls also place a significant burden on society – it has been estimated that falls cost the NHS around £2.3 billion per year.
The eyes carry out several functions in order for us to “see” as we should. The most important of these functions for mobility and balance are:
- Visual Acuity
- Contrast Sensitivity
- Visual field Loss
- Stereopsis
These functions can be affected by conditions such as:
- Cataracts,
- Glaucoma,
- Diabetes
- Age Related Macular Degeneration
A regular eye test forms an essential part of our annual health and wellbeing checks and can help detect ocular problems before any long lasting visual deterioration may take place, as well as helping to prevent falls and improving an older person’s quality of life and peace of mind significantly.
Download our guide to preventing falls to help you safeguard against a fall.
PROFESSIONALS
We provide a Vision & Falls assessment which can help individuals to minimise the visual causes of a fall and is useful for those caring for individuals prone to falls.
For more information or to book an appointment, call us on 020 8428 4068