Vision

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

There are two types of AMD: wet AMD and dry AMD.

• Wet AMD is the more advanced and severe form of vision loss. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow. These new blood vessels tend to be fragile and often leak blood and fluid, which then raise the macula from its normal place at the back of the eye. With wet AMD, loss of central vision can occur quickly.
• Dry AMD occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. As dry AMD gets worse, you may see a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, as less of the macula functions, central vision in the affected eye can be lost gradually.The most common symptom of dry AMD is slightly blurred vision. Another common early sign is drusen—yellow deposits under the retina. You may have difficulty recognizing faces and need more light for reading and other tasks. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes, but vision can be lost in one eye while the other eye seems unaffected.

Cataracts

There is only one “type” of cataract—but many degrees of severity exist. Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness among older adults in the United States.

More than 20 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts. More than half of all Americans have cataracts by the time they are 80 years old. Cataracts can also sometimes be found in young people or even newborn babies.

Glaucoma

Many different types of glaucoma exist. Some of the more common types include:

• Chronic (Open Angle) Glaucoma. In this type of glaucoma, fluid in the eye drains too slowly and pressure inside the eye builds. This type of glaucoma is seen more often in older adults.
• Normal Tension Glaucoma. This is a form of open angle glaucoma not related to a builup of pressure from fluid in the eye. Instead, it is usually caused by sensitivity to normal levels of fluid.
• Acute (Angle Closure) Glaucoma. People of Asian and Native American descent experience this type of glaucoma more frequently than those of Caucasian descent. Hispanics are the second group most likely to experience this glaucoma. It causes a sudden rise in pressure, requiring immediate, emergency medical care. The signs may include blurred vision, severe headaches, eye pain, nausea, vomiting, or seeing rainbow-like halos around lights. Occasionally, the condition may be without symptoms.
• Secondary Glaucoma. This type of glaucoma is usually caused by other health conditions that damage the eye's drainage system. Diabetes, leukemia, sickle-cell anemia, some forms of arthritis, cataracts, eye injuries, inflammation of the eye, steroid drug use, and growth of unhealthy blood vessels may cause this type of glaucoma.
• Post-Surgical Glaucoma. Some surgeries, such as retinal reattachments, increase the chance of getting glaucoma.

Hearing

Hearing loss often develops slowly and gradually worsens as we age. Hearing loss caused by chronological factors is permanent, but most hearing difficulties can be helped by individually selected, prescribed, and fitted hearing aids. Many elderly people are unaware of mild to moderate hearing loss—although those caring for them (you) may be well aware of it! Most cases of hearing loss in the elderly is due to normal aging.

Age-related hearing loss is known as presbycusis, and is most likely to occur after the age of 60. Between 24 percent and 40 percent of adults over age 65 have difficulty hearing, and 30 percent of people over age 85 are deaf in at least one ear.

As we age, the production and transmission of sound deteriorates, causing gradually hearing loss. Hearing works by sound entering the ear and striking the eardrum. After this happens, the eardrums vibrations travel along three tiny bones through the middle ear. The energy produced by the vibrations is transformed into nerve impulses that travel to the brain and are interpreted as sounds.

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