Visual information from the lower visual field is important for walking across multi-surface terrain

Abstract

Visual information concerning characteristics of the environment is critical for safe navigation. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of vision from the lower visual field for negotiating multi-surface terrain. Ten healthy young adults and ten healthy older adults walked across a walkway where the middle portion consisted of solid, rock, slippery, compliant, tilt, and irregular surfaces (i.e. multi-surface terrain). Participants performed the walking trials with and without special glasses that blocked the lower visual field. Head pitch angle along with step parameters were measured. Young and older adults demonstrated increased mean and maximum head pitch angle downward when the lower visual field was blocked suggesting the importance of vision from this area when stepping on multi-surface terrain. In addition, young and older adults altered their gait pattern by reducing gait speed and step length when the lower visual field was blocked. These results suggest that information from the lower visual field is normally used when walking across multi-surface terrain. The results have implications for those individuals who wear multi-focal glasses and who use them while walking in complex environments, which may challenge balance.