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Vision and Perception Deficits Associated With Dementia

HCR Manor Care
Columbus, OH

Sensory declines represent a broad category of normal age-related changes that can lead to diminished quality of life for the elderly individual, loss of independence, and increased costs for society as a whole (National Institute of Health, [NIH, 1999). As an individual ages, some of the most prevalent sensory losses are those related to vision and perception. According to the National Eye Institute (NEI, 2004), 3.3 million adult Americans have low vision or blindness and this figure is estimated to increase to 5.5 million by 2020. Vision deficits increase with age; sixty-nine percent of the population who are legally blind are those individuals 80 years old and older. Furthermore, as the population ages, so does the prevalence of multiple age-related diagnoses or conditions that effect vision and/or perception, such as diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, hemianopsia secondary to a stroke, and dementia.