Frailty and falls assessments
Vision checks should be a core part of assessments in frailty and falls services
Falls are a significant risk as people age, with serious health issues and great cost to the health system. Around one in three adults over 65 and half of people over 80 will have at least one fall a year. Falls are the main cause of a person losing their independence and going into long-term care, as well as contributing to cognitive decline.
After a fall, the fear of falling can lead to more inactivity, loss of strength, loss of confidence and a greater risk of further falls. We know that falls risk is increased with visual impairment, but the data around this is under-reported as the cause of falls are often multi-factorial and vision likely plays a part in most, but this is often not recorded. Falls assessments and rehabilitation services often have “check vision” as a standard, but this is usually offered as advice to the patient, rather than a formal referral.
Optometrists are well-placed to monitor falls risk of their older patients, either when they come into the practice, or more importantly if providing domiciliary services. There is a lack of coordinated care in this area, with vision checks only a recommendation in many falls pathways. By making a full eye examination by an optometrist mandatory following a fall, or as part of a preventative frailty check, there could be a significant reduction in the devastating burden of falls.
References
For a full list of resources used to create this information hub visit our reference page.