Visual acuity, self-reported vision and falls in the EPIC-Norfolk Eye study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• Falls are a significant health concern, particularly among older adults.
• Vision impairment is a known risk factor for falls.
• Understanding the relationship between different measures of vision and fall risk is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between visual acuity (VA) and self-reported vision (SRV) with falls.
• To determine if SRV can serve as a proxy for vision-related fall risk.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 8317 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk Eye study was analyzed.
• Data on SRV, distance VA, and number of falls in the past year were collected.
• Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between vision measures and falls, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• Approximately 26.7% of participants reported at least one fall in the past 12 months.
• Worse VA and poorer SRV were both significantly associated with an increased risk of falls.
• Poorer SRV remained a significant predictor of falls even after accounting for VA.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported vision is independently associated with falls, irrespective of objective visual acuity.
• SRV can be utilized as a straightforward proxy measure for visual function to identify individuals at risk of falls.
• This finding supports the use of SRV in screening for individuals who may benefit from vision-related fall prevention programs.