ORs were generally higher for recurrent fallers than for all fallers .
This meta- analysis provides comprehensive evidence -based assessment of risk factors for falls in older people , confirming their multifactorial etiology .
Some nonspecific indicators of high baseline risk were also strong predictors of the risk of falling
BACKGROUND Falls are the main cause of accidental death in persons aged 65 years or older .
Binocular visual-field loss increases the risk of future falls in older white women.
OBJECTIVES To examine the relationship between binocular visual field loss and the risk of incident frequent falls in older white women . DESIGN A multicenter , prospect i ve cohort study . SETTING Four clinic centers within the United States in Baltimore , Maryl and ; Minneapolis , Minnesota ; Portl and , Oregon ; and the Monongahela Valley , Pennsylvania . PARTICIPANTS Four thous and seventy-one community-dwelling white women aged 70 and older participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures . MEASUREMENTS Primary outcome was incident frequent falls , defined as two or more falls within 1 year . Primary risk factors were binocular visual field loss , distance visual acuity in the better eye , and contrast sensitivity at low spatial frequency in the better eye . RESULTS Of 4,071 women , 409 ( 10 % ) had severe binocular visual field loss at the eye examination , and 643 ( 16 % ) experienced frequent falls within 1 year after their eye examination . Severe binocular visual field loss was significantly associated with frequent falls when adjusting for age , study site , and cognitive function ( odds ratio=1.50 , 95 % confidence interval=1.11 - 2.02 ) . The data showed a trend for increasing odds of two or more falls with greater binocular visual field loss ( P<.001 ) . In older white women with severe binocular visual field loss  , 33.3 % of frequent falls were attributable to visual field loss . CONCLUSION Women with binocular visual field loss are at greater risk of future frequent falls . Screening for binocular visual field loss may identify individuals at high risk of falling
ORs were generally higher for recurrent fallers than for all fallers .
This meta- analysis provides comprehensive evidence -based assessment of risk factors for falls in older people , confirming their multifactorial etiology .
Some nonspecific indicators of high baseline risk were also strong predictors of the risk of falling
BACKGROUND Falls are the main cause of accidental death in persons aged 65 years or older .