A study recently published in JAMA Ophthalmology reveals that people dealing with eye diseases are at a higher risk of fractures and falls compared to people without eye diseases.
Researchers from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom analyzed 410,476 people with cataracts, 75,622 with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 90,177 with glaucoma who were matched to controls to determine fall and fracture risk.
What researchers found was an increased risk for falls with the hazard ratio of (HR) for those with cataracts being 1.36, AMD HR of 1.25 and glaucoma HR of 1.38. And an increased risk for fractures was seen across the board for all eye diseases. Fracture risk increased among those with eye diseases across all body areas including, hip, spine, forearm, pelvis, sternum, skull and lower leg when compared to those with no eye disease.
Researchers note that these results indicate a need for patients with these eye diseases be advised of fall prevention services as well as interventions to prevent falls and fractures.
