Neglected Cataracts Can Lead To Increased Rates Of Falls Among Older Adults

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ninety-four million people are living with either moderate or severe distance vision impairment or blindness due to cataracts.
Cataracts develop slowly and can be hard to catch since they will not impair vision right away.
Eventually, though, people with cataracts might describe their eyesight as cloudy or similar to peering through a fogged-up lens.
Moreover, better lighting and prescription eyeglasses can help combat cataracts in the beginning.
But, according to the Mayo Clinic, once cataracts progress and interfere with your day-to-day life, cataract surgery is necessary.
And in older adults, not only can day-to-day habits be interrupted, but incidences of falling can also increase due to faulty vision.
In fact, falls are actually the leading cause of injury in older adults, and many of these incidences are a result of inaccurate sight.
This is a problem especially prevalent among adult Australians, who often wait too long to undergo cataract surgeries on their first and second eye within the public health care system.
Nonetheless, recent research published in the Medical Journal of Australia found that obtaining these surgeries as soon as possible is essential in lowering the rate of fall injuries in older adults.

shurkin_son – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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The study analyzed over one hundred people aged sixty-five years and over between 2013 and 2016.
Interestingly, before receiving any cataract surgery, the average fall incidence rate among participants was 1.17.
Following cataract surgery on one eye, this rate decreased to 0.81. Finally, after both eyes underwent cataract surgery, the average fall incidence dropped to only 0.41.
Lisa Keay, the Head of the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales, explained how these results must be heard and acted upon by Australian officials in order to improve both safety and quality of life among older adults.
“Older people with cataracts in Australia can wait substantial periods for both first and second eye cataract surgery in the public hospital system,” Keay said.
“The problem has been exacerbated by deferral of elective surgery during COVID-19 and particularly affects people who rely on public hospital services.”
“Our findings indicate that timely and equitable access to cataract surgery is needed to prevent injuries and to promote healthy aging,” Keay continued.
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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