BY UE STUDIO

Updated Thursday, 23 December 2021- 16:30

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Intermediate vision has been much more used during the pandemic

, due to the fact that during these months people have stayed more time at home, which has allowed other activities to be carried out, such as the use of screens, the kitchen or. when they leave, the use of private transport. Despite the low social awareness about it,

ophthalmologists already call it 'functional vision', because it is what allows personal autonomy

, compared to near vision, more used in moments of leisure, and far away, for activities outside of home.

The results of this survey have been presented at the recent Congress of the Madrid Ophthalmological Society, and it previously identified 35 daily activities that people over 60 years of age usually perform during a normal week.

The objective was to analyze the use that this segment of the population makes of the different types of vision: near (less than 40 cm), intermediate (between 40 and 90 cm) and far (more than 90 cm).

Among those 36.9% of activities for which

'intermediate vision'

is necessary

, there are essential daily tasks, such as using cutlery, cooking, washing in front of the mirror, using the computer or looking at the rear-view mirrors of the car

.

These are activities that, as a whole, the majority of those surveyed say they carry out weekly (up to 68.2%).

On the other hand, 64.8% of the participants in the survey affirm that they periodically carry out activities for which close-up vision is necessary, mostly associated with leisure, such as reading books or newspapers or doing hobbies. Finally, 56.8% declare that they carry out activities that involve the use of distance vision, mainly related to the outdoors, such as reading advertisements or signs on the street or practicing outdoor activities or soft sports.

Ángel Gil, professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Rey Juan Carlos University, comments on how

there are many homes in which older people live alone and vision difficulties can contribute to making them dependent

.

"When there is a loss of autonomy, it is usually associated with isolation, staying at home and not doing certain tasks. This reduces the quality of life and, in turn, produces a significant psychological affectation," says the professor.

For this reason, it

is important to influence the care of the 'intermediate vision', since it has a direct impact on the well-being of the elderly

.

"A great relationship has been observed between visual problems, activities at home and the frequency of falls and fractures," Gil points out.

Of the 10 activities that are cited in the survey as the most carried out by the population over 60 years of age, six are carried out using functional or intermediate vision. Dr. Alfonso Arias, director of the Chair in Generation of Value and Visual Health at the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, Professor of Ophthalmology at this same center and president of the Madrid Ophthalmological Society, affirms that "the use of ' intermediate vision 'has increased, due to some habits related to it, such as the increasing use of tablets and computers, or the greater time that the elderly have spent and spend at home, with consequent activities such as cooking more ".

1,000 people over 60 years of age and of both sexes participated in the survey. In it, the activities that the elderly perform most frequently were established, and it was classified into near, intermediate and distance vision. Its margin of error is +/- 3.1% and the confidence level is 95%.

Among the activities that the elderly did the most with

near vision

was consulting the mobile or the watch, reading books or writing by hand.

Intermediate vision

said they use it more to look in the rear view mirror of the car, use cutlery, the desktop computer or laptop, cook, chop or clean food, wash in front of the mirror, play board games.

Last in the

distance vision

were actions such as watching television, seeing obstacles such as stairs or sidewalks, reading street signs, etc.

Made by UE Studio

This text has been developed by UE Studio, creative firm of branded content and content marketing of Unidad Editorial, for Chair in Generation of Value and Visual Health

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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