Effects of Aging
The need for eyeglasses increases with age. Also, three serious visual disorders are seen more frequently in older persons: (1) The lens of the eye does not accommodate as well and may also develop a cataract, a clouding of the lens that impairs vision; (2) age-related macular degeneration is sometimes seen in older people; and (3) glaucoma is more likely to develop because of a reduction in the size of the anterior cavity of the eye.
The need for a hearing aid also increases with age. Otosclerosis, an overgrowth of bone that causes the stapes to adhere to the oval window, is the most frequent cause of conduction deafness in adults. The condition actually begins during youth but may not become evident until later in life. Dizziness and the inability to maintain balance may be due to changes in the inner ear. With age, atrophy of the organ of Corti can lead to presbycusis (pres'be cus" is agerelated hearing decline). First, there is a loss in the ability to detect high-frequency tones, and then the lower tones are affected. Eventually, speech can be heard, but words cannot be detected.
