Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun 23;6(3):23.
doi: 10.1167/tvst.6.3.23. eCollection 2017 Jun.

Gait Implications of Visual Field Damage from Glaucoma

Aleksandra Mihailovic  1 , Bonnielin K Swenor  1 , David S Friedman  1 , Sheila K West  1 , Laura N Gitlin  2 , Pradeep Y Ramulu  1
Affiliations

Gait Implications of Visual Field Damage from Glaucoma

Aleksandra Mihailovic et al. Transl Vis Sci Technol. .

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate fall-relevant gait features in older glaucoma patients.

Methods: The GAITRite Electronic Walkway was used to define fall-related gait parameters in 239 patients with suspected or manifest glaucoma under normal usual-pace walking conditions and while carrying a cup or tray. Multiple linear regression models assessed the association between gait parameters and integrated visual field (IVF) sensitivity after controlling for age, race, sex, medications, and comorbid illness.

Results: Under normal walking conditions, worse IVF sensitivity was associated with a wider base of support (β = 0.60 cm/5 dB IVF sensitivity decrement, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12-1.09, P = 0.016). Worse IVF sensitivity was not associated with slower gait speed, shorter step or stride length, or greater left-right drift under normal walking conditions (P > 0.05 for all), but was during cup and/or tray carrying conditions (P < 0.05 for all). Worse IVF sensitivity was positively associated with greater stride-to-stride variability in step length, stride length, and stride velocity (P < 0.005 for all). Inferior and superior IVF sensitivity demonstrated associations with each of the above gait parameters as well, though these associations were consistently similar to, or weaker than, the associations noted for overall IVF sensitivity.

Conclusion: Glaucoma severity was associated with several gait parameters predictive of higher fall risk in prior studies, particularly measures of stride-to-stride variability. Gait may be useful in identifying glaucoma patients at higher risk of falls, and in designing and testing interventions to prevent falls in this high-risk group.

Translational relevance: These findings could serve to inform the development of the interventions for falls prevention in glaucoma patients.

Keywords: gait; glaucoma; mobility; visual field.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Graphical depiction of the gait parameters analyzed in the manuscript. AB, line of progression; CD, base of support; AE, step length; CF, stride length; CG, drift.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fatalities and injuries from falls among older adults - United States, 1993-2003 and 2001-2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2006; 23: 479–481. - PubMed
    1. Stevens JA,, Corso PS,, Finkelstein EA,, Miller TR. The costs of fatal and non-fatal falls among older adults. Inj Prev. 2006; 12: 290–295. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Coleman AL,, Cummings SR,, Yu F,, et al. Binocular visual-field loss increases the risk of future falls in older white women. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007; 55: 357–364. - PubMed
    1. Dhital A,, Pey T,, Stanford MR. Visual loss and falls: a review. Eye (Lond). 2010; 24: 1437–1446. - PubMed
    1. Freeman EE,, Munoz B,, Rubin G,, West SK. Visual field loss increases the risk of falls in older adults: the Salisbury eye evaluation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007; 48: 4445–4450. - PubMed