Getting new glasses can make you more apt to take a fall

Falls — millions of us take them every year. And they can end up being deadly, especially for seniors.

But a big cause of falling is something you probably never even think about, even though it’s right in front of your eyes.

I’m talking about your glasses.

Whether you’ve worn them your whole life or just use them for reading, getting a new, stronger or different Rx for them can cause a fall.

Dr. David Elliott, a professor at the University of Bradford in the U.K., has done a lot of research on the dangers of both blurred vision and vision correction. And he’s found that lenses requiring too much of an adjustment can increase the risk of falls for older adults.

A third or more of healthy older adults fall every year. Such falls are usually the result of different risk factors, one being reduced vision.

But eyeglasses that are too strong, Dr. Elliott warns, can up your risk of falling as well. The older you are, the more difficulty you may have in adapting to new lenses, he says.

That’s especially true of making the switch to progressive lenses or bifocals. If you’ve never worn them before they can be very difficult to adjust to. And they can easily cause a fall going down stairs or curbs.

They can also cause distortion in peripheral vision — in other words, make things appear to be closer — or even farther away — than they actually are.

His solution: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Which means that lenses shouldn’t be changed if you’re having no problems with your vision. And that any change in a prescription for someone at a greater risk for falling shouldn’t involve a different type of lens than the person is used to wearing.

Another thing shown to reduce the risk of a fall, he says, is having a second pair of single-lens glasses just for outdoor use.

In other words, check your smartphone only when you’re sitting down and ditch the bifocals when walking.

Sources:
“New glasses may increase risk of falls in older adults, suggests review” Science Daily, May 23, 2014, sciencedaily.com