Poor vision in older adults has been linked to an increased risk of falls, but it remains unclear whether this risk is influenced by specific exposures such as home environmental hazards. To address this gap, a study evaluated the association between visual function, home environmental hazards, and falls among 4,648 participants. The study found that poorer distance visual acuity (DVA) (mean [SD], 0.10 [0.18] logMAR) and contrast sensitivity (CS) (mean [SD], 1.72 [0.23] logCS) were associated with increased odds of falling in homes with environmental hazards.
Higher fall risk was observed in homes without grab bars (DVA odds ratio (OR) 1.14; CS OR 0.91), with tripping hazards (DVA OR 1.29; CS OR 0.87), and with broken flooring (DVA OR 1.47; CS OR 0.79). The presence of multiple hazards further strengthened this association (DVA OR 1.31; CS OR 0.93). These findings suggest that the…
