Columnists

Vision Impairment And Hearing Loss

Issue 24.12

Sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch are the 5 traditionally recognized human senses.  Problems with these senses are common experiences within the older US population.  How does losing vision, hearing or both affect everyday activities for you or a loved one? 

Hearing and vision problems are not manifest disabilities, and both can lead to misdiagnosis or a misunderstanding.  For example, a person with vision problems may appear timid, hesitant, or confused, especially when confronted with a new situation.  Similarly, people with hearing loss may miss the nuances of conversation and appear confused, creating unjustified impatience on the part of those with whom they are speaking.  These experiences may lead to isolation, disappointment and frustration. 

When normal changes in someone’s vision and hearing exceed normal age-related changes, they may begin to compromise a person’s ability to carry out routine activities and impact their quality of life.  Either hearing or vision loss can affect the most common and simple tasks such as reading a newspaper, recognizing facial expressions or hearing a whispered conversation and side remarks. 

A 2004 study in the American Journal of Public Health found that of people aged 70 years or older, 18% reported blindness in 1 or both eyes or some other trouble seeing, 33.2% report problems with hearing and 8.6% report problems with both hearing and seeing.  Too often we notice changes in these two important senses and for one reason or another brush it off as “getting old”.  Let us not confuse ABNORMAL changes in vision and hearing with normal age-related changes.  Many Common eye conditions like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, dry eye and cataract respond well to treatment.  Similarly, routine hearing screenings remain effective for the early detection and treatment of hearing problems.

Richens Eye Center provides comprehensive vision and hearing exams for all ages.  Dr’s. Richens, Gibb and Terry will help you achieve your best potential vision while Mark Nilsson, a Nationally Board-Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist, will maximize hearing.  The combination of these 2 services allows us to help our patients improve their quality of life and help them reengage in the activities that mean so much to them.  Together we will educate you and provide state-of-the-art care to help you see well, hear well and live well.  

For a complete evaluation of both your vision and hearing please call Richens Eye Center at 435-986-2020.

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