The visual field loss resulting from the progression of glaucoma can pose a risk of falling to patients. Falling and the fear of falling (FoF) is a significant risk to patients-especially seniors. Researchers were interested in finding out more about how and when patients with visual field damage from glaucoma were at risk of falling and thus reported on a study in the American Journal of Ophthalmology in which they investigated where glaucoma patients most often fall and how integrated visual field (IVF) damage affects falls rates per year (falls/year) and per step (falls/step) at and away from home.
Their research conclusions for this glaucoma population suggested that a) most falls occurred at home, b) the risk of any step resulting in a fall was higher at home and c) those with greater visual field damage were more likely to fall for each step taken both at and away from home. Based on this, it is important to consider making efforts such as home environmental modification to prevent falls while maintaining physical activity.
If you or someone you know is concerned about their glaucoma risk and fear of falling due to visual field loss from glaucoma please be sure to schedule an eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.
Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1003 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.
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