By Staff Reports
(Hawaii)– From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
The eye chart in the doctor’s office might not be the best guide to how clearly an older person can see at home. Researchers found this by comparing vision tests at home and in the clinic for 175 people ages 55 to 90.
At the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, researcher Anjali Bhorade:
“Vision in patient’s homes was significantly worse than that tested in the clinic. The major factor contributing to this difference was poor lighting in the homes. ”
Bhorade says over 85 percent of older adults in the study had lower-than-recommended lighting levels. She says simply increasing lighting may help many older adults see significantly better in their homes.
The study in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
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HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.