高齢者の視機能トレーニングによる日常生活行動の改善

Abstract

The Purpose of this study is to determine if visual function training influences speed of reading and useful field of view. Visual function training was performed using game machines with 30 elderly subjects (average age 74.9 years). The subjects were divided into three groups: once per week training group, 3-times per week training group and non-training group. The training groups received a 15 minute training session per day once a week or 3 times a week for 3 continuous months. The main results are as follows: 1. The 3-month training groups improved visual functions but the improvement was not statistically significant. Although there was an expected greater improvement in the 3-times per week group than in the once per week group, no difference was observed between the groups. This suggested that trainability for visual functions may be limited in the elderly. 2. Speed of reading in the training groups did not increase compared to the baseline. 3. U seful field of view expanded compared to the baseline in both once per week and 3-times per week training groups. 4. In the questionnaires, the rates of the subjects who answered that they read newspapers regularly or occasionally increased in the training groups compared to the baseline. 5. Thus, this study indicated that visual function training of the elderly expanded their useful field of view while it did not increase their speed of reading. H owever, as the rates of subjects who answered that they read newspapers regularly or occasionally increased after 3 months of training, visual function training may have beneficial effects concerning reading.