Optometrists and Fall Prevention for Seniors: The Hidden Link

A fall can be a very serious and traumatic event for any senior citizen. Many falls lead to broken bones, which either lead to diminished quality of life, earlier termination of life, or both. For these reasons, fall prevention is a very serious business, especially for seniors. But fall prevention efforts usually miss a key piece of the puzzle – the fact that diminished visual acuity and other problems affecting sight in the elderly is a primary contributor.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the hidden link between eye health and senior falls. We’ll also examine the high toll that a fall can take on the life of an elderly person. Finally, we’ll make some suggestions regarding protecting eyesight during the golden years and some suggestions for compensating for diminished vision that may help protect seniors from falling.

As we age, our eyesight begins to falter, naturally. Aging and many of the conditions that come along with it – some of which affect the eyes, though they have nothing to do with eyesight directly – take a toll on our visual acuity. This can make it harder to see in general, and especially hard to see in low-light conditions.

Additionally, aging can bring with it several eye issues or conditions that can make seeing, even in the best of circumstances, very challenging.

There are many factors that can contribute to a senior fall taking place, but poor or encumbered vision is primary among all of them. The hazard that a senior does not see is far more likely to trip them or cause them to slip or lose balance, resulting in a fall that can have serious, even life-threatening repercussions.

Falls are embarrassing and can bring into question the ability of a senior person to care for themselves. They can also result in minor or very serious injury. Depending on the context and the person experiencing the fall, they could result in serious disability and even death. For example, how many times have you heard of someone’s health deteriorating rapidly following a fall and a broken hip?

Broken hips are a very serious and often life-threatening potential outcome of a senior fall. But other potential injuries, including burns, broken bones, concussions, and the like can also factor into a senior’s loss of independence, health, quality of life, or life itself. Therefore it is of utmost importance that seniors be protected against falls to the greatest extent possible.

Regular visits to your optometrist throughout the course of your life are an excellent step toward safeguarding your health and eyesight. This relationship between regular visits to the eye doctor and continued health becomes even more important as we age.

Safeguarding our eye health and ability to see is very important in and of itself. It becomes even more crucial when you begin to think of all the things that good eyesight protects us from.