<p>Falls and fallinjuries are very common in peoples own homes in various institutions. Hospital inpatients often fall during daytime in connection with their visit to the toilet. Visual impairment such as cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy can cause falls. The purpose of this study was to examine patient´s records where falls and fallinjuries were documented at an emergency clinic and to examine if they were registered to visual impairment. The records from 68 hospital inpatients from the age of 65 years and older who did fall during the year of 2004, were examined. In spite of different preventive actions that were taken, falls and fallinjuries often happened when the patients were on the move and left on their own. The number of patients who have any visual impairment and a record at an eye clinic, were 41. Thirtytwo of the patients who have any visual impairment did fall between 18:00 - 06:00. In the emergency clinics records, there were no records about how the patients experienced their visual ability. Objective and subjective visual impairment were only registered in the eye clinics records. When risk assessments are made, visual impairment should be considered as a riskfactor for falling. It should be considered as an independent riskfactor as well as in addition with other riskfactors. When the patient gets to the ward, the nurse should ask the patient and register if he or she has any visual impairment. The nurse can therefore use strategies to plan the caring and prevent falls and fallinjuries during the patients stay at the emergency clinic. Visual impairment as well as the natural ageing affects the visual ability and therefore the wards environment should contain sharp colours and bright lightening.</p>

Falls and fallinjuries are very common in peoples own homes in various institutions. Hospital inpatients often fall during daytime in connection with their visit to the toilet. Visual impairment such as cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy can cause falls. The purpose of this study was to examine patient´s records where falls and fallinjuries were documented at an emergency clinic and to examine if they were registered to visual impairment. The records from 68 hospital inpatients from the age of 65 years and older who did fall during the year of 2004, were examined. In spite of different preventive actions that were taken, falls and fallinjuries often happened when the patients were on the move and left on their own. The number of patients who have any visual impairment and a record at an eye clinic, were 41. Thirtytwo of the patients who have any visual impairment did fall between 18:00 - 06:00. In the emergency clinics records, there were no records about how the patients experienced their visual ability. Objective and subjective visual impairment were only registered in the eye clinics records. When risk assessments are made, visual impairment should be considered as a riskfactor for falling. It should be considered as an independent riskfactor as well as in addition with other riskfactors. When the patient gets to the ward, the nurse should ask the patient and register if he or she has any visual impairment. The nurse can therefore use strategies to plan the caring and prevent falls and fallinjuries during the patients stay at the emergency clinic. Visual impairment as well as the natural ageing affects the visual ability and therefore the wards environment should contain sharp colours and bright lightening.