ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2024
Association between vision impairment and increased prevalence of falls in older US adults.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Optometrists' practice of falls prevention care for community dwelling older adults: A mixed methods systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Contrast Sensitivity Impairment Is Associated With Limitations of Physical Functioning and Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- A Clinically Relevant Threshold of Impaired Contrast Sensitivity Among Older US Adults.JAMA ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Effects of cognitive load-Induced constriction of the useful field of view on postural control.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Harmonization of self-reported and performance-based measures of vision using inverse probability weighting: an example using vision and depression in NHATS, CLSA, and LASI.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026Article
- The Role of Home Hazards in the Association Between Visual Function and Falls in Older Adults.JAMA ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Vision impairment and cognitive function in Chinese older adults with diabetes: multiple mediating effects of social participation and perceived control.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Dynamic trajectories in visual function and fall risk in older adults.Frontiers in epidemiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Frailty-Driven Risk Stratification in Age-Related Ophthalmic Diseases: Thresholds, Precision Screening, and Mendelian Randomization Insights.Translational vision science & technology · 2025Article
- A Comparison of All-Cause Mortality in Patients Who Required Glaucoma Surgery for Neovascular Glaucoma or Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Vision (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Association between Visual, Hearing and Dual Sensory Impairment and the Frailty Syndrome.Aging and disease · 2025Article
- Motor Coordination Disorders in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- A fall risk prediction model based on the CHARLS database for older individuals in China.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Association between visual impairment and recurrent hospitalizations in older US adults.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Article
- Vitamin D and hip protectors in osteosarcopenia: a combined hip fracture preventing approach.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2025Review
- Contrast sensitivity before and after refractive error correction among refractive error patients in Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia 2023.BMC ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Clinical performance of an interactive platform based on artificial intelligence in ophthalmology: experience in a third-level reference center.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Self-Reported Visual Difficulty and Mortality Risk Among Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Recurrent Falls.Innovation in aging · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVision impairment (VI) is associated with falls in older adults. However, past studies have relied on geographically constrained samples with limited generalizability or self-reports of visual difficulty. To date, there have not been nationally representative studies on the association of objective measures of visual function and falls outcomes.
methodsWe used cross-sectional data from Round 11 of National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative panel study of age-eligible Medicare beneficiaries (N = 2951). We performed Poisson regression to calculate the prevalence and prevalence ratio (PR) of >1 fall in the past year, any fall in the past month, fear of falling (FoF), and activity limitation due to FoF as a function of distance visual acuity, near visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity. Models were adjusted for demographic and health covariates and were weighted to make nationally representative parameter estimates.
resultsThe weighted proportion of participants with VI was 27.6% (95% CI, 25.4%-29.9%). Individuals with any VI had a higher prevalence of falls compared with those without VI (18.5% vs. 14.1%, PR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.02-1.53). Specifically, contrast sensitivity impairment was associated with a higher prevalence of recurrent falls (20.8% vs. 14.7%; PR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.01-1.67) and recent falls (17.1% vs. 9.9%; PR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.01-1.94). This relationship existed even independent of near and distance visual acuity. Distance and near visual acuity were not significantly associated with falls. Having any VI was also associated with a higher prevalence of FoF (38.4% vs. 30.5%, PR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.02-1.34).
conclusionThe prevalence of falls is associated with poor contrast sensitivity but not with near or distance visual acuity. Findings suggest greater collaboration between geriatricians and eye care providers may be warranted to assess and address fall risk in older adults with VI.
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