Medication handling and the elderly patient: a challenge for the optometrist

23 May 2012
Volume 13, Issue 2
Public health

How failing vision, along with other symptoms of ageing can affect patients' management of their medication.

Introduction

The prevalence of both illness and disability increases with age, and with this comes a dependence on increased numbers of oral medications. Managing medication can become increasingly difficult with age as a result of both cognitive and physical (dexterity) decline. This, coupled with vision impairment, whose incidence increases almost exponentially with age, can result in medication misuse and loss of compliance, with resulting impact on health.

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