Life Span Changes
Life Span Changes
Learning Objective: Analyze the life span changes that occur in the eyes and ears.
As we age, changes occur in the functioning of the eyes and ears, and diseases and disorders of the eyes and ears may develop. The following sections discuss some of those changes.
Changes in Children
Learning Objective: Describe the changes in the in the eyes and ears in children.
Infants have to learn to see. When they are born, they have to learn to focus their eyes, use them together, and move them accurately. By about 3 months of age, a baby will be able to follow moving objects and reach for things. By the age of 2, eye-hand coordination and depth perception should be well developed. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that vision screenings begin between the ages of 3 to 5 years. The function of the eyes is assessed from birth forward.
In children, the most prevalent disorder of the eyes is conjunctivitis (commonly known as pinkeye), which accounts for a large number of pediatric visits. Because it is highly contagious, entire classrooms may be infected due to one student’s infection. Most newborns receive erythromycin shortly after birth. This has significantly reduced the number of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum conjunctivitis, which is usually due to gonorrhea or chlamydial infection.
One of the biggest changes within the ear for children is in the eustachian tube. This structure connects the middle ear to the throat, and in young children, it is shorter and more horizontal than in adults. This can lead to more ear infections in young children.
Unlike vision, an infant does not need to learn to hear, but regular hearing tests begin when one is a newborn. If all is well with that screening, the next screening should occur at school age, unless the parent suspects there is an issue with the child’s hearing.
Few babies are born with a hearing loss. The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) test is a means to detect deafness in infancy. Once an infant has been diagnosed, the parents can plan for future treatments and determine how to best handle the condition.
Changes in Older Adults
Learning Objective: Describe the changes in the eyes and ears of older adults.
As we age, there are changes to the eye that can impact vision. Presbyopia is the most common. Other conditions will be discussed later in this chapter.
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and cataracts are the most common causes of blindness in older adults. Although there are several successful procedures to treat cataracts, currently, there are no treatments to cure ARMD. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of blindness, but it may also occur much earlier in life. Presbyopia is a visual disorder that usually accompanies aging and results in farsightedness.
Hearing loss is also common as we age. This is referred to as presbycusis. Hearing loss can truly impact the quality of life for many people. They may decide that it is just too hard to be in large groups of people and have to continually ask people to repeat themselves. Hearing aids may help with this hearing loss and provide some improvement in that quality of life.