Association of Age Related Macular Degeneration and Age Related Hearing Impairment

Dual Sensory Impairment: Impact of Central Vision Loss and Hearing Loss on Visual and Auditory Localization

Purpose

In the United States, AMD is a leading cause of low vision that leads to central vision loss and has a high co-occurrence with hearing loss. The impact of central vision loss on the daily functioning of older individuals cannot be fully addressed without considering their hearing status. We investigated the impact of combined central vision loss and hearing loss on spatial localization, an ability critical for social interactions and navigation.

Methods

Sixteen older adults with central vision loss primarily due to AMD, with or without co-occurring hearing loss, completed a spatial perimetry task in which they verbally reported the directions of visual or auditory targets. Auditory testing was done with eyes open in a dimly lit room or with a blindfold. Twenty-three normally sighted, age-matched, and hearing-matched control subjects also completed the task.

Results

Subjects with central vision loss missed visual targets more often. They showed increased deviations in visual biases from control subjects as the scotoma size increased. However, these deficits did not generalize to sound localization. As hearing loss became more severe, the sound localization variability increased, and this relationship was not altered by coexisting central vision loss. For both control and central vision loss subjects, sound localization was less reliable when subjects wore blindfolds, possibly due to the absence of visual contextual cues.

Conclusions

Although central vision loss impairs visual localization, it does not impair sound localization and does not prevent vision from providing useful contextual cues for sound localization.

Dual Sensory Impairment: The Correlation between Age Related Macular Degeneration and Sensorineural Hearing Loss

The pathogeneses of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and age-related hearing impairment are not yet fully understood. If AMD and age-related hearing impairment are correlated, the cause of both may be a result of a common vulnerability. The aim of this study was to assess the interrelation between age-related macular degeneration and age-related hearing loss. Material and methods: In our case-control analysis, the hearing conditions of 40 subjects with AMD were compared with 40 age-matched healthy controls. In all patients, retinal changes were certified by clinical examinations, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiography (FA). All subjects were inspected with pure tone audiometry (PTA), impedance audiometry, and speech audiometry. Results: A significant correlation (p < 0.001) was identified between age-related macular degeneration and age-related hearing impairment. The predominant hearing impairment in this case was sensorineural (SNHL). Of the patients diagnosed with AMD, SNHL was found in 88.89% of those with exudative macular degeneration and in 67.74% of those with atrophic macular degeneration. In contrast, we found that a significant proportion of the control group had normal hearing. Conclusion: One possible explanation for the association between retinal and cochlear impairment may be due to a melanin disorder.

No impact of nasal septoplasty on the outcome of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy

OBJECTIVE

To compare the outcomes of combined endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (endoDCR) with nasal septoplasty for deviation of the nasal septum to endoDCR alone in cases of nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO).

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study that included 107 consecutive patients with NLDO, who underwent endoDCR with or without concomitant nasal septoplasty in our institution between October 2009 and October 2017.

RESULTS

A total of 117 operations were performed (107 patients, 80.4% females; mean age ± SD 51.1 ± 19.5 years). Twenty-five (21.4%) endoscopic surgeries were combined with septoplasty (the endoDCR + septoplasty group), and 92 (78.6%) comprised endoDCR alone (the endoDCR group). There was no difference in anatomical success and functional success rates between the two groups (P = 0.76 and P = 0.18, respectively). There were no complications attributed to the septoplasty component of the surgical procedure.

CONCLUSION

Considerable numbers of patients undergoing endoDCR also require a septoplasty. Combining an additional procedure (septoplasty), that was not performed for its original indication but rather for facilitating the main surgical intervention (endoDCR), yields surgical success and associated complications equivalent to those of endoDCR alone.

Relationships between Hearing Loss and the Prevalences of Cataract, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Korea

This study was conducted using the database of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine whether age-related eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are related to hearing loss. 12,899 participants ≥ 40 years of age were included. The weighted prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was not significantly different between the normal hearing group and hearing-impaired group, but the weighted prevalences of cataract, glaucoma, early AMD, and late AMD were significantly different in the two groups. The odds ratio for cataract in the hearing-impaired group was 1.373 (1.118–1.687). The odds ratios of glaucoma, DR, early AMD, and late AMD were not significantly different in the hearing-impaired group. Age was significantly associated with the presence of concurrent cataract and hearing impairment by 6.574-fold per decade. Significant factors that increased the risk of concurrent glaucoma and hearing impairment were age, male gender, and triglyceride. Age, ex-smoker, systolic BP elevation, BMI decline, and fasting blood sugar significantly predicted the presence of concurrent DR and hearing loss. In early AMD, age and triglyceride, and in late AMD, age and systolic BP elevations increased the risk of concurrent AMD and hearing impairment.