Older cataract patients suffer damaging falls due to long hospital waiting time

A researcher has called for greater care in ensuring quick treatment for older patients with cataract to prevent falls caused by impaired vision. Anna Palagyi, a research fellow at the George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney, spoke ahead of addressing the annual conference of the Australian Association of Gerontology, being held on Nov. 4-6 at Alice Springs.

Palagyi discussed the findings from her research that examined 284 people, aged 65 years and over, awaiting cataract surgery at public hospitals in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, according to the Daily Telegraph. She revealed that 35 per cent people observed in her study had fallen during the waiting period, out of which half the respondents had suffered an injury. Though there were differences in waiting periods across hospitals, some hospitals in Sydney made the patients wait for up to two years from the referral date to get on the waiting list, after which they were made to wait another 12 months to undergo surgery.

The study recorded 196 falls among 86 patients – out of which 37 fell more than once.

“Over half of those falls have caused an injury of some sort, ranging from cuts and grazes to emergency department presentations with head injuries and fractures,” Palagyi said, reports the Daily Telegraph. “Almost 10 per cent of participants were already vision impaired yet still had a significant time wait for their cataract surgery.”

Palagyi pointed out the lack of a prioritisation system in waiting lists of public hospitals for people who have age-related cataracts.

“Instead of having a first-in, first-served basis, there may be a benefit in trying to identify those at higher risk as they enter the list,” she pointed out.

Falls pose serious risks to the life and well-being of older people, besides adding significant costs to the health system. Hospital systems that can ensure simple and speedy access to cataract surgery for older patients are necessary.

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