A new study says that visual blurring — such as that produced by bifocals or multifocal lenses — could potentially lead to increased tripping and falling in older adults.
Dr. Alex A. Black and colleagues of Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia reportedly looked at how well older adults would perform "precision stepping tasks" while wearing either their normal glasses or glasses with blurred vision. The researchers found test subjects made the most foot placement errors when they were dealing with blurred vision and had to look ahead of their stepping target, leading them to believe both visual blur and gaze position can impact falling risk in older adults.
The study was published in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, the official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.
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