Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Design and Analysis for Fall Detection System Simplification

Design and Analysis for Fall Detection System Simplification

Published on: April 6, 2020

Prevalence of Falls and Fall-Related Outcomes in Older Adults with Self-Reported Vision Impairment

Joshua R Ehrlich^1,2, Shirin E Hassan³, Brian C Stagg^1,4

¹Center for Eye Policy and Innovation, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

|November 14, 2018

Abstract

Objectives:

To determine the prevalence of falls, fear of falling (FoF), and activity limitation due to FoF in a nationally representative study of older adults with self-reported vision impairment (VI).

Design:

Cross-sectional analysis of panel survey data.

Setting:

National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative survey administered annually from 2011 to 2016 to U.S. Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older.

Participants:

Respondents (N=11,558) who contributed 36,229 participant observations.

Measurements:

We performed logistic regression to calculate the unadjusted and adjusted prevalence of self-reported history of more than 1 fall in the past year, any fall in the past month, FoF, and activity limitation due to FoF in participants with and without self-reported VI.

Results:

The weighted proportion of participants reporting VI was 8.6% (95% confidence interval (CI)=8.0-9.2%). The unadjusted prevalence of more than 1 fall in the past year was 27.6% (95% CI=25.5-29.7%) in participants with self-reported VI and 13.2% (95% CI=12.7-13.7%) in those without self-reported VI. In respondents with self-reported VI, the prevalence of FoF was 48.3% (95% CI=46.1-50.6%) and of FoF limiting activity was 50.8% (95%CI 47.3-54.2%), and in those without self-reported VI, the prevalence of FoF was 26.7% (95% CI=25.9-27.5%) and of FoF limiting activity was 33.9% (95% CI=32.4-35.4%). The prevalence of all fall and fall-related outcomes remained significantly higher among those with self-reported VI after adjusting for sociodemographics and potential confounders.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of falls, FoF, and activity limitation due to FoF is high in older adults with self-reported VI. This is the first study to provide nationally representative data on the prevalence of fall-related outcomes in older Americans with self-reported VI. These findings demonstrate the need to treat avoidable VI and to develop interventions to prevent falls and fall-related outcomes in this population. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:239-245, 2019.

Keywords:

NHATS aging epidemiology falls fear of falling ophthalmology survey vision

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Innovations in iTUG Test for Enhanced Risk Assessment and Cognitive Insights

Author Spotlight: Innovations in iTUG Test for Enhanced Risk Assessment and Cognitive Insights

Published on: October 25, 2024

Hyperactive piggyBac Transposase-mediated Germline Transformation in the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

Hyperactive piggyBac Transposase-mediated Germline Transformation in the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

Published on: September 23, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Free-falling Bodies: Example

Free-falling Bodies: Example

An object falling without any air resistance under the influence of gravitational force is said to be in free-fall. For free-falling bodies, the acceleration due to gravity is constant, irrespective of their mass. Free-fall is experienced not only by objects falling downward, but also by all objects whose motion is influenced by gravitational force alone. The dynamics of free-fall motion can be calculated using kinematic equations of motion, since free-fall acceleration is constant.
The...

Free-falling Bodies: Introduction

Free-falling Bodies: Introduction

All objects, neglecting air resistance, fall with the same acceleration towards the Earth's center due to the force exerted by the Earth's gravity. This experimentally determined fact is unexpected because we are so accustomed to the effects of air resistance and friction that we expect light objects to fall slower than heavier ones. People believed that a heavier object had a greater acceleration when falling until Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) proved otherwise. We now know this is...

Prevalence and Incidence

Prevalence and Incidence

In statistical epidemiology and health sciences, two essential metrics—prevalence and incidence—are fundamental for understanding disease dynamics within a population. These measures enable public health officials, epidemiologists, and researchers to assess the burden of diseases, allocate resources effectively, and design impactful public health policies and interventions.
Prevalence indicates the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease or health...

Vision

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

Color Vision

Color Vision

Color perception begins in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Two main theories explain how colors are seen: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. The trichromatic theory, proposed by Thomas Young in 1802 and extended by Hermann von Helmholtz in 1852, suggests that color vision is based on three types of cone receptors in the retina. These cones are sensitive to different but overlapping ranges of wavelengths corresponding to red, blue, and green.

Predicting Reaction Outcomes

Predicting Reaction Outcomes

Kinetics describes the rate and path by which a reaction occurs. In contrast, thermodynamics deals with state functions and describes the properties, behavior, and components of a system. It is not concerned with the path taken by the process and cannot address the rate at which a reaction occurs. Although it does provide information about what can happen during a reaction process, it does not describe the detailed steps of what appears on an atomic or a molecular level. On the other hand,...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Optical coherence tomography acquisition efficiency: comparison of Heidelberg spectralis OCT2 module & Zeiss Cirrus HD-OCT model 6000.

Frontiers in ophthalmology·2026

Stepping over obstacles: Lead foot clearance decreased with low-contrast obstacles in older adults with and without central vision loss.

Gait & posture·2026

Data Volume and the Need for Clinical Decision Support in Glaucoma Care.

Ophthalmology science·2026

Incidence of posterior capsular rupture in routine and complex cataract surgeries at a major training institution.

Journal of cataract and refractive surgery·2026

Structure-Function Correlation of Virtual Reality and Standard Perimetry With Peripapillary RNFL OCT in Glaucoma Patients.

Translational vision science & technology·2026

Locally-affiliated authorship in global eye health research conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2003 and 2022.

Eye (London, England)·2026

See all related articles