Older adults who wear progressive lenses are more likely to experience falls than those who wear traditional bifocals, according to a study published in Optometry & Vision Science. Prioritizing education and training may help to reduce this risk, the report suggests.
Researchers performed a secondary analysis of 281 multifocal spectacle wearers (mean age, 80.3 years; 69.40% women) from the Visual Intervention Strategy Incorporating Bifocal & Long-distance Eyewear (VISIBLE) study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00350389). They followed study participants for 6 months or longer during a 13-month study duration, recording the number of patients with a fall and the number of falls they experienced. Stratified according to multifocal lens type, 170 participants wore bifocals, 33 wore trifocals, and 78 wore progressive addition lenses. Study individuals underwent vision, sensorimotor function and balance assessments, and the investigators compared fall incidence between the 3 groups.
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More sophisticated education of the risks posed by progressive addition lens glasses and training in optimal glasses use may help protect older people from falls, particularly for those who take part frequently in a variety of activities outside their homes.
In total, 61 participants fell once, 45 participants fell twice, and 54 participants fell 3 or more times, according to the report. Among these participants, 8 underwent treatment in an emergency room and 9 had fractures related to the fall.
Collectively, bifocal wearers had a total of 241 falls, trifocal wearers experienced a total of 47 falls, and progressive lens wearers experienced a total of 159 falls. In total, 51 bifocal lens wearers (31.5%) had multiple falls compared with 15 trifocal lens wearers (46.9%) and 33 progressive addition lens wearers (44.6%; P =.071). Participants who wore progressive addition lenses demonstrated a significantly increased risk of experiencing multiple falls compared with bifocal lens wearers (odds ratio [OR], 2.23; 95% CI, 1.08-4.58), according to the report.
“More sophisticated education of the risks posed by progressive addition lens glasses and training in optimal glasses use may help protect older people from falls, particularly for those who take part frequently in a variety of activities outside their homes,” according to the investigators. “This could include involving patients in decision-making and ensuring practice staff promoting fall-prevention messaging to improve compliance and reduce fall risk.”
Study limitations include limited data regarding add power or segment shapes, and an inability to determine whether progressive lenses developed after 2008 would have affected outcomes.