Peking University Research: People with bad eyes and backs are more likely to suffer from dementia and depression.

As people get older, the risk of sensory impairments such as vision and hearing increases, often with old eyes, not being clear on the phone screen, not being clear about what others are talking about... It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more than 900 million people worldwide with clinical hearing impairments.
, about 2.2 billion people worldwide suffer from certain visual impairments, including moderate to severe vision loss and even blindness.
As a chronic disease, visual or auditory impairment not only inconveniences and harms patients' lives, but a study published in JAMA Network Open, a sub-journal of the Journal of the American Medical Association, further suggests that visual impairment and hearing impairment are also associated with cognitive decline, a major associated symptom of dementia, and an increased risk of depression.
Researchers from the China Health Development Research Center at Peking University analyzed data from the 2015 China Health and Pensions Tracking Survey (CHARLS) and covered 18,038 subjects aged 45 and over, including 9,244 (51.2%) women and 8,794 men (48.8%);
researchers collected information about the subjects' age, gender, education, smoking status, alcohol consumption, marital status, overall health status, daily activities, and chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
In addition, the researchers focused on the participants' visual and auditory impairments and divided the subjects into four groups: the health group, the visual impairment group only, the hearing impairment group and the double sensory impairment group (both visually impaired and hearing-impaired).
using multiple scales, the researchers assessed the subjects' cognitive function and depressive symptoms.
cognitive functions include situational memory, mental well-health, and overall cognitive ability.
found that visual, auditory and double sensory impairments are common in adults 45 years and older in China.
of all subjects, 14,690 (81.4%) had visual impairments, 11,517 (63.8%) had hearing impairments and 10,575 (58.6%) had dual sensory impairments.
adjusted for other factors, the researchers analyzed and found that both single-sensory disorder and bi-sensory disorder were associated with a decline in cognitive function and an increased risk of depression.
Compared to subjects without visual, auditory or double sensory impairment, subjects with sensory impairment scored lower on situational memory, mental well-being, and overall cognitive ability, and had a higher prevalence of depression.
Visual impairment was associated with a 12% and 16% decrease in participants' overall cognitive ability scores, respectively, and a 78% increase in the risk of depression; 19% and 43%, as well as a 57% increase in the risk of depression, were associated with a 23%, 13% and 37% decrease in the subjects' situational memory, mental well-being scores and overall cognitive ability scores, respectively, and a 119% increase in the risk of depression.
the first study to explore the correlation between sensory disorders and cognitive function and depression in adults 45 and older in China, the researchers said.
disorder can affect cognitive function and depression through a variety of mechanisms.
such as sensory disorders, leading to social isolation, loneliness and less social interaction in older adults, leading to cognitive decline and depression;
Because the study was observational and only showed a link between sensory impairment and decreased cognitive function and an increased risk of depression, there was no causal link, and there were limitations to the study, such as the assessment of vision and hearing, which relied primarily on the subjects' self-reporting, and the lack of an investigation into whether assistive devices (such as hearing aids, glasses) could potentially improve cognitive function and depressive symptoms.
China, with its rapidly aging population, is no exception, as the number of older people with visual, auditory or double sensory impairments is increasing worldwide.
The researchers recommend measures to protect vision and hearing, such as avoiding staring at electronic screens for long periods of time, looking away during rest, reducing eye fatigue, limiting the duration and intensity of exposure to noise, wearing hearing protectors and glasses, conducting regular vision and hearing tests, and passing medication or surgery in time for health problems.
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