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Geriatric Ophthalmology pp 7–14Cite as

Refractive Error in the Geriatric Population

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Abstract

Refractive error is one of the most common causes of vision loss in the elderly, both in the US and as a treatable cause of world blindness. Uncorrected refractive error adversely affects the elderly patient’s quality of life and may significantly impact their ability to perform basic activities of daily living. Poor vision resulting from uncorrected refractive error may prevent a patient from participating in self-care, contributing to self-neglect, a form of elder abuse. Visual impairment contributes to falls, fractures, an inability to prepare meals for proper nutrition, social isolation, incorrect medication administration, depression, and worsening dementia among other difficulties. Comorbidities such as hearing loss will compound the effects of both poor vision and poor hearing.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Hilary A. Beaver

  2. Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY, USA

    Hilary A. Beaver

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  1. Hilary A. Beaver
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Correspondence to Hilary A. Beaver .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Hilary A. Beaver

  2. Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Andrew G. Lee

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Beaver, H.A. (2019). Refractive Error in the Geriatric Population. In: Beaver, H., Lee, A. (eds) Geriatric Ophthalmology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04019-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04019-2_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04017-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04019-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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