Vision, hearing, balance, and sensory impairment in Americans aged 70 years and over: United States, 1999-2006.
Sensory impairments are a substantial problem for older Americans: One out of six has impaired vision; one out of four has impaired hearing; one out of four has loss of feeling in the feet; and three out of four have abnormal postural balance testing. Sensory impairments increase with age: Vision and hearing impairments each double, and loss of feeling in the feet increases by 40% in persons aged 80 years and over compared with persons aged 70-79 years. One in five Americans below the poverty threshold has impaired vision: 50% higher than other Americans. Balance problems are also common among the poor. Over one-half of those with impaired vision could improve their eyesight by using glasses or by getting a corrected prescription. For those with hearing problems, 72% might benefit from a hearing aid but do not use one.
Dillon
Charles F
CF
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782, USA.
Gu
Qiuping
Q
Hoffman
Howard J
HJ
Ko
Chia-Wen
CW
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*