- Describe your topic.
- Comprehensive eye exams and falls prevention in the elderly. For adults over the age of 65, what are the risks and benefits of incorporating a comprehensive eye exam with an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) into a falls prevention protocol? Could regular receipt of comprehensive eye exams reduce the risk of future falls? What strategies will promote the use of regular comprehensive eye exams for adults at high risk for falling? What other interventions related to the visual system could reduce the risk of falls in this population? How do outcomes differ when the intervention is provided by an eye doctor versus a primary care provider?
- Describe why this topic is important.
- Falls in the elderly have a significant impact on their health and independence, as well as associated health spending on the individual and the entire Medicare-aged population. Visual problems are a known risk factor for falling and elderly patients at high risk of falls often have other comorbid conditions, like diabetes, that may reduce ocular health and visual acuity.
- Tell us why you are suggesting this topic.
- The Effective Health Care Program could provide useful recommendations for payment coverage in the private and public insurance sectors, as well as guidance for individual practitioners. Any intervention that could reduce the risk of falls for individuals over the age of 65 could improve individual and population health and reduce the overall cost to the health system.
- Target Date.
- Describe what you are doing currently and what you are hoping will change because of a new evidence report.
- The current CDC Compendium of Effective Falls Intervention highlights interventions to help older adults at risk of falling. However, while vision is occasionally mentioned as a risk factor, very few of the interventions include specific interventions related to vision.
- How will you or your group use the information from a new evidence report?
- We will use this evidence report to inform health education regarding reducing falls risk in the elderly both for doctors of optometry and other clinicians.
- How would you or your group plan to disseminate information from the report? Who would you plan to disseminate it to?
- We would disseminate this information through our traditional communications channels and through social media to our members, 44,000 doctors of optometry throughout the U.S. We would also share directly with other professional societies and public health organizations.
- Do you know of organizations that could use an evidence report to change clinical practice? Are you a part of, or have you been in contact with, any organizations that might implement the research findings of an evidence report?
- Clinical professional societies, including those for primary care providers and geriatricians, could use this evidence report as they promulgate best practices for their members, as could public health organizations.
- Information About You: (optional)
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- Provide a description of your role or perspective.
- The American Optometric Association is the professional society representing 44,000 doctors of optometry and optometry students.
- If you are you making a suggestion on behalf of an organization, please state the name of the organization.
- AOA
- Please tell us how you heard about the Effective Health Care Program.
- AHRQ Mailing List
