1.3 million seniors with severely impaired vision report falling in 2014

Almost half of seniors with severely impaired vision reported falling in 2014, compared with one in three seniors overall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the fall rate for those with severe visual impairment ranged from 31% in Hawaii to 59% in California. The authors said the findings “underscore the importance of each state implementing effective strategies to improve vision health and reduce falls, especially among older adults with severe vision impairment.” An estimated 2.8 million Americans aged 65 or older reported blindness or severe difficulty seeing in 2014.