title: Self-reported hearing, vision and quality of life: Older people in New Zealand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish associations between sensory-related disability and quality of life (QOL).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3817 people aged 75 years and older, including 173 Māori aged 61 years and older, were surveyed. Measures included: sociodemographic and health factors; World Health Organization quality of life (WHOQOL)-BREF for QOL; and self-rated hearing- and vision-related disability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hearing disability was reported by 866 (51%) men and 736 (36%) women. A total of 974 (26% of all, 61% of hearing disabled) used hearing aids. A total of 513 (30%) men and 618 (30%) women reported vision disability. Vision and hearing disability were both independently associated with lower QOL, with hearing difficulty affecting physical and social domains more, and the environmental domain least. Vision difficulty impacted the environmental domain most and the social domain least. QOL impact was higher for those with both hearing and visual disability (631, 17%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hearing and vision disability are associated with poorer QOL.
authors: Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Shiran
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Moyes
authors: Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: McLean
authors: Audiology Section, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Grant
authors: G
authors: Searchfield
authors: Audiology Section, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Welch
authors: Department of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Jacobs
authors: Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Ngaire
authors: N
authors: Kerse
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001307:Auditory Perception; D003261:Contact Lenses; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012919:Social Behavior; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D014796:Visual Perception; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation
keywords: disability; hearing; quality of life; vision