Q: I am trying to learn more about anything to prevent me from developing Alzheimer’s or dementia. I heard that even vision and hearing may be involved in prevention. True?
A: You are right. While many of the risk factors that increase your risk of dementia are more “medical” issues, it is now shown that sensory or cognitive problems with vision and hearing can increase your risk level.
We have known for a few years that hearing loss is a risk factor, and that hearing aids can improve this significantly. The prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, just published new data on dementia risk factors. They find that elevated LDL cholesterol levels and impaired vision can increase your risk also.
Vision impairment appears to increase your risk by as much as 50%, according to the latest research. This does not just mean eye diseases, it includes correctable vision problems! In the past, we often thought that “grandpa did not see well just because he was old”. This is not a valid reason for vision loss, and likely our older relatives had some eye disease or vision disorder that caused the problem.
Furthermore, the studies indicate that correcting vision problems or impairments in older adults can significantly reduce that increased dementia risk. While Medicare does not cover or pay for glasses generally, it does cover your eye exam and testing if a medical eye problem is the cause. We generally recommend all adults over 50 have annual eye exams, and this is especially true if over age 65. As we so often mention, very few eye diseases inside the eye give pain as a clue. Patients too often put off eye care because “nothing hurts” and vision changes are typically very slow and often progress without the patient realizing how much vision deterioration has occurred.
Dementia has many causes or factors, and many are improvable with diet and lifestyle changes. If you, or your older family members have not had a thorough medical eye exam in the last 2 years, I would encourage you to do so. Compared with so many diet and lifestyle changes, getting your vision and / or hearing as good as possible is a much simpler challenge. Again, if you have Medicare, you likely do not need a “vision plan” to help pay for an eye exam. Keep up with regular eye care and keep your glasses prescription up to date annually.
