IT'S A common problem as we get older - misstepping, tripping and even falling - but, there are times when all this can be avoided with some simple vision management strategies.

Poor vision and falls are closely connected; a third of all Australians aged 65 and over fall at least once a year according to the latest research into preventing falls in older patients.

Optometry Australia have some simple tips for reducing your risk of falls:

• Try to avoid large changes in your prescription glasses. This will change the magnification of objects - their size and their distance. Instead, ensure you get a regular eye check-up - yearly for over 65s - at your optometrist so that your prescription changes gradually.
• Tell your optometrist what glasses you use and if you have any vision problems when walking.
• If you don't feel confident while on your feet while walking, use single vision glasses.
• Avoid walking while wearing bi-focal or multi-focal glasses. The problem is the segment in the bottom part of these glasses is set for specific focal length which can be only 40cm away. When you go walking the area that you are looking through to help you step will be out of focus. Instead, ask your optometrist for single vision, distance glasses.
• If you do go walking while wearing bi-focals or multi-focal glasses, tuck your chin in so that you are looking through the top part of your glasses as you approach steps and stairways.

People with cataracts are more prone to falls as their eyes become cloudy. Optometry Australia's chief clinical officer Luke Arundel recommends those people should have cataract removal surgery as soon as possible to reduce their risk of falls.

For more good vision tips, go to www.optometry.org.au.