Prevent hearing, vision problems before they start
Cranking up the volume in your car may sound harmless and fun, but it could lead to hearing problems in your older years -- and possibly even increase your risk of dementia.
Likewise, poor diet and fitness can not only impact your body, but your eyesight as well.
While hearing and vision loss are problems common to older adults, they can easily be caused — or prevented — by decisions or actions taken in the younger stages of life.
According to a 2021 study from the World Health Organization, one in four people is expected to live with “some degree of hearing loss” by 2050. Audiologist Dr. Robert Petruso of Petruso Hearing in Cranberry Township, says that many of these cases are preventable with enough attention.
“If we want people to protect their hearing later in life, we need to begin teaching them safe listening practices earlier in life,” Petruso said.
Permanent hearing loss can be caused by long-term exposure to loud noises in many cases, according to Petruso.
“The main hearing organ is the cochlea, which is located in the inner ear,” Petruso said. “When exposed to loud sounds, damage occurs and it's irreversible. The impact of loud sounds can be immediate, but it is more common that damage to the auditory system is gradual, often going unnoticed or ignored until the symptoms become more obvious.”
Petruso added that the listening habits of young people can put them in danger of hearing loss.
“Young people frequently engage in activities that exceed safe listening thresholds,” Petruso said. “These exposures accumulate not just throughout the day, but throughout their lifetime from recreational sound exposure, like concerts and music and AirPods and things they put in their ear.”
Even babies can be vulnerable to hearing loss if their parents aren’t careful, according to Petruso.
“Young children and babies...they use those white noise machines,” Petruso said. “Those can get loud, so parents need to check to make sure that their white noise machines that help the baby sleep are at comfortable listening level, because hearing loss can start early in life.”
For those who listen to audio through headphones, one guideline Petruso mentioned was the “60-60 rule” -- listening at no more than 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.
Loud music isn’t the only activity that can lead to hearing loss, according to Evelyn Wiest of Wiest Audiology in Butler Township.
“If you're doing target shooting, you should always have hearing protection on in case someone next to you decides to shoot,” Wiest said.
For those who regularly encounter noisy environments as part of their daily life, such as loud industrial settings, Wiest recommends investing in hearing protection if it hasn’t already been provided.
“If you're looking to prevent hearing loss in the first place, you should invest in hearing protection,” Wiest said. “In environmental situations, if they're in an area that exceeds the decibel limit set by OSHA, then their company should be supplying them with hearing protection to begin with.”
Hearing loss can have major health consequences in later years beyond not being able to decipher what others are saying. “There's a direct link between hearing loss and dementia,” Wiest said. “If you need to have your hearing corrected and you decide not to correct, you're five times more likely to run the risk of dementia.”
Above all, Petruso recommends getting a hearing evaluation once a year from an audiology professional.
Some eye conditions or diseases, such as glaucoma, are more likely to occur in older adults or passed down through genes.
But according to Dr. Joseph A. Terravecchia of Premier Eyecare of Cranberry, the same bad habits that can affect your general health and fitness in older years can more specifically impact eyesight as well.
“Things like blood pressure and diabetes can significantly impact ocular health, so avoiding or keeping those conditions under control can be very helpful,” Terravecchia said. “Smoking can add fuel to the fire with the progression of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, so avoiding or stopping that habit can be huge.”
Terravecchia also recommends wearing eye protection whenever necessary, as well as scheduling a routine eye exam at least once every one to two years in order to identify and treat conditions while they are still treatable.
