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Relationship between functional vision and balance and mobility performance in community-dwelling older adults

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Abstract

Background and aims

Vision is an important prerequisite for balance control and mobility. The role of objectively measured visual functions has been previously studied but less is known about associations of functional vision, that refers to self-perceived vision-based ability to perform daily activities. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between functional vision and balance and mobility performance in a community-based sample of older adults.

Methods

This study is part of a Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for the Good Care of the Elderly project (GeMS). Participants (576) aged 76–100 years (mean age 81 years, 70 % women) were interviewed using a seven-item functional vision questionnaire (VF-7). Balance and mobility were measured by the Berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go (TUG), chair stand test, and maximal walking speed. In addition, self-reported fear of falling, depressive symptoms (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale), cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination) and physical activity (Grimby) were assessed. In the analysis, participants were classified into poor, moderate, or good functional vision groups.

Results

The poor functional vision group (n = 95) had more comorbidities, depressed mood, cognition decline, fear of falling, and reduced physical activity compared to participants with moderate (n = 222) or good functional vision (n = 259). Participants with poor functional vision performed worse on all balance and mobility tests. After adjusting for gender, age, chronic conditions, and cognition, the linearity remained statistically significant between functional vision and BBS (p = 0.013), TUG (p = 0.010), and maximal walking speed (p = 0.008), but not between functional vision and chair stand (p = 0.069).

Conclusion

Poor functional vision is related to weaker balance and mobility performance in community-dwelling older adults. This highlights the importance of widespread assessment of health, including functional vision, to prevent balance impairment and maintain independent mobility among older population.

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Acknowledgments

The GeMS study was financed by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution and the city of Kuopio, Finland. This study was supported in part by the Juho Vainio Foundation, Finland. We thank the participants and the research staff of the GeMS study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35 (LL), FIN 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Eeva Aartolahti & Arja Häkkinen

  2. Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Arja Häkkinen

  3. Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Eija Lönnroos & Sirpa Hartikainen

  4. Department of Geriatrics, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Eija Lönnroos & Raimo Sulkava

  5. Unit of Primary Health Care, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    Hannu Kautiainen

  6. Department of General Practice, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Hannu Kautiainen

  7. Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland

    Raimo Sulkava

  8. School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Sirpa Hartikainen

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  1. Eeva Aartolahti
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Correspondence to Eeva Aartolahti.

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Aartolahti, E., Häkkinen, A., Lönnroos, E. et al. Relationship between functional vision and balance and mobility performance in community-dwelling older adults. Aging Clin Exp Res 25, 545–552 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-013-0120-z

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