Older people with certain eye diseases – cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or glaucoma – are more likely to fall and break bones than other seniors, according to a UK study. Published by JAMA Ophthalmology.
The researchers analyzed medical records of more than 3.4 million people (mean age 74) over 10 years, including more than 576,000 people with eye disease. The study tracked fractures and falls, with the highest risk of both in glaucoma (38 percent more likely than those without the disease, and 31 percent more likely to sustain a fracture), cataracts (36 and 28 percent more), and then AMD (25 and 18 percent more).