Journal
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
Volume 56, Issue 5, Pages 2950-2957Publisher
ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC
DOI: 10.1167/iovs.14-16018
Keywords
falls; stair safety; horizontal-vertical illusion; stair ascent; tread-edge highlighter
Categories
Funding
- National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research Programme (NIHR PHR) [10/3009/06]
- National Institute for Health Research [10/3009/06] Funding Source: researchfish
Ask authors/readers for more resources
PURPOSE. Falls on stairs are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly people. A simple safety strategy to avoid tripping on stairs is increasing foot clearance. We determined whether a horizontal-vertical illusion superimposed onto stairs to create an illusory perceived increase in stair-riser height would increase stair ascent foot clearance in older participants. METHODS. Preliminary experiments determined the optimum parameters for the horizontal-vertical illusion. Fourteen older adults (mean age +/- 1 SD, 68.5 +/- 7.4 years) ascended a three-step staircase with the optimized version of the horizontal-vertical illusion (spatial frequency: 12 cycles per stair riser) positioned either on the bottom or top stair only, or on the bottom and top stair simultaneously. These were compared to a control condition, which had a plain stair riser with edge highlighters positioned flush with each stair-tread edge. Foot clearance and measures of postural stability were compared across conditions. RESULTS. The optimized illusion on the bottom and top stair led to a significant increase in foot clearance over the respective stair edge, compared to the control condition. There were no significant decreases in postural stability. CONCLUSIONS. An optimized horizontal-vertical visual illusion led to significant increases in foot clearance in older adults when ascending a staircase, but the effects did not destabilize their postural stability. Inclusion of the horizontal-vertical illusion on raised surfaces (e.g., curbs) or the bottom and top stairs of staircases could improve stair ascent safety in older adults.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available