Changing the lenses in glasses 'can prevent falls'

A new scientific study claims that older people who wear glasses can reduce their risk of falling simply by changing lenses.

Researchers in Sydney found that wearers of multifocal glasses who regularly take part in outdoor activities experienced fewer falls when wearing single lenses, according to an article in the British Medical Journal.

Presbyopia, commonly known as long-sightedness, is one of the most common forms of impaired vision among older people.

Those who have this impairment corrected with multifocal glasses often find optical defects impair their balance, the study explains.

After changing the glasses of the 606 people involved in the study to single lenses, researchers found that falls experienced by those regularly spend time outside were reduced by 40 per cent.

According to statistics from the National Osteoporosis Society, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 in the UK will fracture a bone as a result of a fall.

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