Improved vision would have eliminated 1.8% of dementia cases in the US in 2018. That's nearly 100,000 people saved from dementia with better eye care. Like untreated hearing loss, poor eye care increases the risk of dementia.
We've known for some time that vision impairment is a risk factor for dementia. We also know that a very large fraction of vision impairment -- possibly in excess of 80% -- is avoidable or has simply yet to be addressed. —Dr. Joshua Ehrlich, MD, MPH, University of Michigan, reported in MedPage Today.
For example, cataract surgery lowered the risk of dementia by 30% in older adults.
Similar pathways, similar effects
When the Lancet Commission updated its 12 top modifiable risk factors for dementia, hearing loss was high on the list — but did not include vision loss. Dr. Erlich found this surprising.
In a related editorial, Jennifer Deal, Ph.D., and Julio Rojas, MD, Ph.D. noted that poor vision might also
- Increase cognitive load
- Result in changes to brain structure and function
- Increase social isolation and loneliness.
In other words, the same neurological pathways that may trigger dementia from hearing loss may also be at work for impaired vision.
Ranking risks of dementia
To determine the rank-order of dementia risks — including poor vision — Dr. Ehrlich and his co-authors analyzed 16,690 subjects from the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study. The subjects were 54% female, 52% age 65 or older, 10.6% Black, and 80% white. From this pool of data, they calculated the following ranking of modifiable risks for dementia:
- Hypertension (12.4%)
- Obesity (9.2%)
- Depression (9.1%)
- Hearing loss (7.0%)
- Traumatic brain injury (6.1%)
- Diabetes (5.1%)
- Smoking (3.2%)
- Physical inactivity (3.1%)
- Less education (3.1%)
- Social isolation (1.9%)
- Vision loss (1.8%)
- Excessive alcohol consumption (0.3%)
Reduce your risk
Both hearing loss and poor vision can create permanent damage to your brain, which opens the door to dementia. Treating both, however, reduces your risk.
To reduce your risk of dementia from hearing loss, call us to schedule a free, 15-minute hearing screening performed by an audiologist.
Crest Hill: 630-633-5060 | Palos Hills: 708-599-9500
