Single Lens Glasses Could Prevent Slip and Fall Accidents Among the Elderly

Thursday, May 27th, 2010 | Lawyer Marketing

Slip and fall accidents among the elderly and all the complications that arise from these, are a major senior health concern. However, a new study has intriguing results for Las Vegas personal injury lawyers. Research suggests that bifocal spectacle lenses could actually increase the risk of falls among senior citizens.

The study was conducted by Australian researchers at the Prince Of Wales Medical Research Institute in Sydney. According to the researchers, the risks of a fall are higher among older persons who wear multifocal lenses and go out. These persons may have the lower part of their vision blurred, increasing the risks of an accident.

The study involved a total of 606 elderly people with an average age of 80. Half of the group was told about the dangers of multifocal lenses. These people were provided two separate pairs of single focal classes, and were asked to use the distance glasses when they went out. The other half of the group was told to continue using their multifocal glasses. The researchers found that the persons using single lenses had an 8% lower risk of falls than those who used multifocal lenses. However, in the case of elderly people using single lenses who spent a long time outside the house – approximately 2 or three times a week – there was a 40% lower risk of slip and fall accidents.

According to the researchers, when you’re wearing multifocal lenses, the lower part of the visual field is focused just about 50 cm ahead. This means that the person’s vision of just a few steps ahead of him, could be blurred. This would prevent him from identifying a crack in the pavement, or other potential fall risk. These risks may not be as high for persons in their 50s who may have a better response time, and may be able to react in time to prevent a fall. However, a person in his 70s is likely to have slower response times and a slower gait, and this could prevent him from avoiding a fall risk.

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