This is the second article in a series that explores the 14 modifiable lifestyle factors identified by the Lancet Commission that could reduce your risk of dementia. Click here to read about how physical activity benefits your brain (and heart).
Two frequently overlooked conditions – vision loss and hearing loss – are risk factors for dementia that are common, easy to screen for, and potentially treatable.
Vision Loss
Researchers found that vision loss can contribute to a person engaging less with others and with their surroundings. Trouble seeing makes it difficult to leave familiar surroundings, engage in conversations, and join in activities. This retreat can also lead to social isolation, another modifiable risk factor we will address in a forthcoming article.
Visual stimulation also activates the brain. When our eyes send less stimulating information to our brain, it can slow down mental processing.
Prevention and Care
- Have prescription lenses? Wear them.
- Get regular annual eye exams. Conditions of the eye such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration can be identified, monitored, and treated to address vision loss and maintain or improve eyesight.
- Manage your health. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes can contribute to vision issues and should be monitored and treated.
Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is the modifiable risk factor that affects the most people. It also affects more than just the ability to hear — the brain works harder to process sounds. This requires more effort to interact with others and to carry on conversations.
Just as with vision loss, hearing loss can contribute to people withdrawing from social settings and engaging with others. Untreated hearing loss is strongly correlated with dementia, possibly due to the isolation and reduced mental stimulation it can cause. The same goes for vision loss, as mentioned earlier.
Prevention and Care
- Hearing aid use can reduce this risk significantly. The ACHIEVE study found that treating hearing loss among people at high risk for dementia with hearing aids for three years reduced cognitive decline by nearly half versus those who didn’t have hearing aids.
- Annual hearing tests are encouraged when we are 60 and older.Regular midlife hearing checks help catch and treat impairment early.
- You need a test sooner if you:
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- Often ask others to repeat themselves.
- Have trouble following talk in noisy places, hearing high-pitched sounds, or phone conversations.
- Experience ringing or buzzing sounds in the ears.
Manage chronic conditions and comorbidities
Hearing and vision loss don’t often occur in isolation. They can result from and contribute to other conditions.
Comorbidities are two or more medical or mental health conditions that happen at the same time in the same person. One condition is the primary focus, while the additional conditions are the comorbidities.
As shared earlier, hearing loss has also been linked to social isolation and depression. Hearing and vision problems can also contribute to risk of falls and physical injury. Hearing tests can also help detect cardiovascular disease, providing clues about heart and blood vessel health. Diabetes can also contribute to hearing loss. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes can cause vision issues and should be monitored and treated.
Getting high blood pressure, diabetes, and/or high cholesterol under control may require medication. However, the healthy choices that positively affect these diseases also support the brain.
Prioritize your health
As we get older, prioritizing our health is especially important. Regular checks on our vision and hearing not only catch issues and provide opportunities to treat them before they worsen, but it also contributes to overall health and well-being, as well lowering our risk of developing dementia.
Lifestyle changes aren’t a guarantee, but they are an brain hea foundation for living and aging well.
Want to learn more about lowering your dementia risk and supporting wellness?
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