BMJ-British Medical Journal Single-lens distance glasses reduce falls in active older people
Providing single lens distance glasses to older people who wear multifocal glasses and who regularly take part in outdoor activities is a simple and effective way of preventing falls, concludes a study published on bmj.com today.
However, the researchers warn that this strategy may not be appropriate for frailer people who spend more time indoors.
Presbyopia (a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects) is the most common form of impaired vision in older people. To correct for this condition, people are either prescribed separate single lens glasses for distant and near vision or, for convenience, a single pair of multifocal (bifocal, trifocal, or progressive lens) glasses.
Multifocal glasses have benefits for tasks that require changes in focal length, such as driving, shopping and cooking. But they also have optical defects which can impair balance and increase the risk of falls in older people.
So researchers in Sydney, Australia set out to test whether giving older people an additional pair of single lens distance glasses for wearing when outdoors or in unfamiliar settings would help to reduce falls.
Based on these findings, the authors recommend that older people who take part in regular outdoor activities should be provided with single lens distance glasses for outside use when they are prescribed their first pair of multifocal glasses. However, those who undertake little outdoor activity should use multifocal glasses for most activities, rather than using multiple pairs of glasses.