Fear of falling avoidance behavior affects the inter-relationship between vision impairment and diminished mobility in community-dwelling older adults.
Szu-Ping Lee, Ya-Wen Hsu, Lauren Andrew and 2 others
PMID 32543314WHAT IT FOUND
Vision acuity scores did not predict mobility, but diagnosed eye disease and fear of falling avoidance did.
Avoidance behavior partially explained why eye disease led to slower movement. Screen for eye disease and fear, not just acuity.
Key findings
01Visual acuity impairment was not associated with worse Timed Up and Go performance.
02The presence of untreated age-related eye disease was associated with slower Timed Up and Go performance.
03Fear of falling avoidance behavior significantly mediated the relationship between eye disease and mobility performance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Visual acuity data were only available for 159 of the 400 participants because the assessment was added later in the study. The sample lacked diversity in ethnicity and socioeconomic status, recruiting only from community activity centers. Homebound individuals were excluded, potentially underestimating the prevalence of fear of falling and mobility limitations. Eye disease status was self-reported and subject to recall error. The study design is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that eye disease causes fear of falling or mobility loss.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that vision is irrelevant to mobility because visual acuity scores were not predictive. The study found that diagnosed eye disease and fear of falling were significant factors, suggesting that visual function encompasses more than just acuity or that psychological responses to disease drive mobility changes.