Anisometropia may Create Vision Changes for Older Adults

A recent study looks at a problem that may be particularly seen in the eye sight of older adults. It's known as anisometropia, and approximately one-third of people over 75 have differing levels of visual abnormalities between eyes.

"Uncorrected anisometropia is likely to lead to disturbances in binocular vision and stereopsis, which in turn may contribute to falls in the elderly," lead study author Gunilla Haegerstrom-Portnoy, OD, Ph.D., FAAO, of the University of California, Berkeley said, via a press release.

Researchers examined 118 older adults via a vision examination and followed up with all participants over 12 years. Their ages ranged from 67 to 79 at the end of the study.

Throughout the study period, the prevalence of anisometropia increased significantly. In fact, for some participants, problems with their condition doubled, and as participants approached 80 years of age, 32 percent met the study definition of anisometropia.

Prescription component clues provided by participants often gave information and foresight regarding future symptoms of age-related anisometropa. For instance, cases that were related to differing degrees of farsightedness (hyperopia) between eyes often caused blurred vision of the lens of the eye.

During the study and throughout the age ranges, differences between the eyes could also be noted anytime. And surprisingly, for a few patients, anisometropia actually decreased during the study period.

Though researchers note that these studies do not provide information regarding why anisometropia often increases in with age, they point out that proper prescription changes can help correct the problem.

"For older people a lack of correction of this prescription difference between the eyes may contribute to the increased frequence of falls that, in turn, can have a severe impact on health and even life expectancy," Anthony Adams, OD, Ph.D., Editory and Chief of Optometry and Vision Science said, via the release.

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Optometry and Vision Science.