Associations between visual and hearing function in an older adult population: The Eye Determinants of Cognition (EyeDOC) Study

Abstract

Purpose : The extent of the correlation between visual and hearing impairment level is unknown, which may suggest if similar or different mechanisms explain relationships between sensory losses and cognitive disease.

Methods : We used data from hearing measurements at visit 6 (2016-17) of The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and visual measurements from The Eye Determinants of Cognition (EyeDOC) Study (2017-18), an ancillary ARIC study.
Visual function was used as presenting and corrected distance-visual acuity (logMAR from EDTRS chart), presenting near-visual acuity (logMAR from MNRead acuity chart) and contrast sensitivity (logCS from MARS chart). In each participant, data were used from one eye and ear, which were randomly chosen. Hearing function was recorded by Pure Tone Audiometry [PTA] and QuickSIN, where impairment was represented by higher PTA and lower QuickSIN scores.
To assess statistical correlation of visual and hearing parameters, graphical displays of lowess smoothing fits were assessed. Also, Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were calculated and evaluated. In addition, multivariate linear regression models were constructed, adjusting for age, sex and race.

Results : The mean (±SD) age in our sample (N=904) was 79±4 years, 37% were men and 41% self-reported black race. Presenting distance-visual impairment (distance-visual acuity <20/40) was present in 27%, hearing impairment (PTA score>25) was present in 65% while both impairments were present in 19% of our sample. The median (IQR) PTA was 31 (23, 43) and QuickSIN was 19 (15, 22).
Near-visual acuity was weakly correlated with central hearing (Table 1, Figure 1) and the direction suggested that better PTA was associated with better near-visual acuity. Regression analyses also showed that near-visual acuity was statistically significantly associated with hearing function (Table 1). Presenting distance-visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were statistically significantly associated with central hearing function (Table 1).

Conclusions : Visual and hearing functional measures are only weakly associated, indicating that relationships with cognition and other aging outcomes may occur via different mechanistic pathways. Hence, proper treatment and management of both visual and hearing impairments could potentially benefit a broad spectrum of aging outcomes in older adults.

This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.

 

Table 1

 

Figure 1