…by taking off your multi-focales!
When obstacles on the ground are viewed through the lower segment of multi-focal glasses, vision can be blurred and depth perception can be impaired. This phenomenon presumably explains the observation that older adults who wear multi-focal glasses are at elevated risk of tripping.
Australian researchers tested people above the age of 65 that used multi-focal glasses routinely. They had to navigate a 15m walkway, stepping over several foam-block obstacles, placed at varying distances. Their pace was slower when those that wore multi-focals as compared to single-lens glasses.
Next, participants were to navigate the course while they read eye-level letters posted at the end of the walkway. In this case they had to pay attention simultaneously to obstacles at ground level and eye-level information.
Multi-focal wearers touched the obstacles more frequently than single lens wearers. (JAmGeriatrSoc 2009 Oct; 57:1833).
People who wear multi-focal glasses will acknowledge the plausibility of these findings: looking down to descend a stairway or to step over obstacles can be precarious.
The most delicate period is when changing from old-fashioned one-lens glasses (just for distance or just for reading) to multi-focals. A friend of mine had been advised by his optician to be extremely careful when leaving the office and walking home. He is so careful now, that he takes his glasses off when stepping out into the streets of Motril!
That’s the result of having a caring optician: do not wear your glasses!
But seriously: not being at home, being in unknown terrain, be this in a visit to the Alhambra or on a mountain walk in the Alpujarra (you don’t do that? Why not?), it sounds wise to use your old driving-glasses, even though you have to change them for reading glasses when consulting the tourist guide or the map.
It’s better wearing two pairs of glasses, rather than a plaster cast for six weeks, after all.
In case you are not willing to drop the use of the all-so-practical multi-focals, start taking Vitamin D!
Previous findings suggest that Vitamin D supplementation improves muscle strength, balance and prevents falls.
A meta-analysis of eight randomized trials showed, that 700 – 1000 IU daily of high-dose Vitamin D lowered relative risk for falls by 19%. Lower doses did not. (BMJ 2009 Oct 1, 339:b 3692)
The normal daily dose for Vitamin D supplements is 400 IU (International Units) which proved to be insufficient to prevent falls in elders above the age of 65.
The higher dose of 700 – 1000 IU looks more advisable because this kind of dose prevents factures as much as falling over in the first place.
Falling over is always a nuisance, often painful, and sometime bone crunching and therefore needs to be avoided. So: by doubling your normal dose of Vit. D hopefully one of its two benefits will always work.