Multifocal Glasses and Risk for Falling

When obstacles on the ground are viewed through the lower segment of multifocal glasses, vision can be blurred, and depth perception can be impaired. This phenomenon presumably explains the observation that older adults who wear multifocal glasses are at elevated risk for falling. In this study from Australia, 30 people (age, ≥65) who routinely used multifocal glasses participated in an experiment designed to corroborate that multifocal glasses actually do precipitate falls.

Participants navigated a 15-meter walkway, stepping over seven foam-block obstacles placed at various intervals. Their pace was slower when they wore multifocal glasses than when they wore single-lens glasses. Next, participants navigated the course while they read eye-l…