Medical and social aspects of falls in older age groups with visual impairment

Abstract

Introduction. The aging of the population is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the frequency of age-associated ophthalmic diseases leading to decreased vision; visual impairment in old and old age is rarely considered in the epidemiology of falls in these groups. The purpose of the research is to study the medical and social aspects of falls in older age groups with visual impairment. Materials and methods. Falls in four thousand eight hundred and thirty two elderly and senile patients with visual impairment due to cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration were studied retrospectively and during the current observation. Research results. A high incidence was found in men and women aged 80 years due toand over, amounting to 82.6 and 125.7 cases per 1,000 of the population of the corresponding age, respectively. Falls in elderly patients with low vision diabetic retinopathy are recorded more often than in cases with glaucoma, cataract and age-related macular degeneration without significant differences at the age of 50-59 and 60-69 years. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of hospitalized falls in all age groups. Limitations of the study. The study was carried out in one territory, which makes it difficult to extrapolate data to other regions. Conclusion. To reduce the prevalence of falls and hospitalization as a result of them, to optimize care for trauma in patients of older age groups, the priority is the early identification and treatment of people with diabetic retinopathy.