Better Vision = Lower Fracture Risk

As much as I try to ignore it, I'm getting older.  I put on old monovision prescription contact lenses yesterday morning while in a rush.  If ever I needed proof that I have presbyopia, I got it in spades.  My arms just weren't long enough for all the fine print & paperwork that I had to deal with.  Initially, I wasn't convinced a few months ago but I guess those bifocal contact lenses really do work!

I mention this because one of the risk factors for falls in the elderly is poor vision.  Well, in a retrospective study published in JAMA yesterday, the authors concluded that those elderly who underwent cataract surgery had a lower risk of hip fracture compared to those w/cataracts who did not have surgery.

The authors arrived at their conclusion by looking at a random sampling of 5% of Medicare beneficiaries and locating 1,113,640 w/cataracts.  They then compared those who'd undergone cataract surgery to those who hadn't, specifically with regards to hip fracture in the subsequent year.  Notably, they found a 16% reduction in risk in those who underwent cataract surgery compared to those w/cataract but elected against surgery.

Sure, this is only a retrospective observational study useful in developing hypotheses.  In this case, it's useful in supporting the basic premise that one needs to be able to see clearly in order to ambulate safely w/o injury.  It will be interesting to see if a prospective randomized double blind (pun intended) placebo controlled trial will support a causal relationship.  As for me, I'm searching desperately for my bifocal contact lenses!

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