Eye Can Hear! Dual Sensory Impairment & EyeCare 20/20...

I see it every day in my office, a patient with cataracts and decreased vision who also has difficulty with their hearing.  It seems to me that a decline in vision goes hand in hand with a decline in hearing.

According to Lighthouse International:

Vision and hearing impairments are among the most common age-related conditions affecting the elderly. While there is an emerging literature regarding the profound functional, social, and physical and mental health consequences of either a vision or hearing impairment in later life, there is a dearth of existing knowledge regarding both short- and long-term consequences of dual sensory impairment for older persons. Yet, with the aging of the population, the numbers of older people experiencing a concurrent age-related loss in vision and hearing can be expected to grow substantially. Even current estimates of the prevalence of dual sensory impairments among the elderly range from 4% to 21%, depending upon used definitions and/or sources of data.

Here are some interesting statistics:

• Approximately 30 million Americans are hearing impaired.
• Hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic condition behind arthritis and high blood pressure.
• 1 out of 4 people over the age of 65 has a hearing loss and 50% over the age of 75 have a hearing loss.
•  You could be at risk if you work or spend a lot of time around noise without protecting your ears. Professions at risk may include: musicians, construction workers, military personnel, firefighters and police officers.
• Hearing loss can be caused by a number of factors – the aging process, heredity, disease, noise and build-up of earwax, among others.
• Noise can be dangerous. If it is loud enough and lasts long enough, it can damage your hearing.
• If you experience a number of warning signs or if people often tell you that you’re not hearing well, you may have a hearing loss.

Some warning signs of hearing loss include:

• People seem to mumble more frequently.
• You experience ringing in your ears.
• You often ask people to repeat themselves.
• Your family complains that you play the TV or radio too loudly.
• You have been told that you speak too loudly.
• You have trouble understanding all of the words in a conversation.

A big topic of conversation at this years AAO meeting was the implementation of hearing evaluations in ophthalmology offices.  Well, today at EyeCare 20/20 we have decided to do something with what we call Dual Sensory Impairment.  As part of the annual eye exam im patients over 50, we will also do a brief hearing screening.  We will than go over the results, and if a problem is detected, we will offer a free full hearing evaluation by a liscensed Hearing Care Practitioner.  We have also installed a full service BellTone hearing aid center in our office to deal with our patients hearing issues.

For more information on Dual Sensory Impairment at EyeCare 20/20, click here.  Or, to take a hearing self test, click here.