Bluetooth Noise-Canceling Headphones Improve Ophthalmic Exams of Geriatric Hearing-Loss Patients

Abstract

Purpose : Hearing loss in geriatric patients commonly results in poor communication and decreased quality of care in ophthalmology. This study hypothesizes that the use of bluetooth noise-canceling headphones can improve the quality of eye exams in geriatric patients with hearing loss.

Methods : University of Texas Medical Branch patients above 65 years of age were screened for hearing loss using SoundCheck true tone audiometry. SoundCheck categorizes patients into green, yellow, and red zones based on hearing loss severity. Patients in the yellow zone (n=13) and red zone (n=19) were included in the study. All subjects (n=32) completed an Amsler grid exam and an ophthalmology patient education segment using pre-recorded questions that solicited precise responses. As controls, subjects were randomly administered half of the questions via headphones and half via a smartphone at normal speech volume (60 db). Points were awarded for all responses that demonstrated comprehension, and a post-exam survey was collected.

Results : According to paired t-test, patients had a significantly higher mean rate of questions answered correctly with headphones as compared to without for both Amsler and education questions (P=0.0006 and P<0.0001 respectively). In particular, patients in the red zone had a higher mean number of appropriate responses of 1.32 with headphones compared to control (P=0.0001). In the education segment, patients in this same group had a mean of 1.47 appropriate responses higher compared to control (P<0.0001). For patients in the yellow zone, both the Amsler grid exam and education segment demonstrated a mean of 0.08 appropriate responses higher compared to control (P=0.7533 and P=0.6727 respectively). Across both groups, post-exam survey indicated that 97% of patients preferred the use of headphones.

Conclusions : Patients with red-zone hearing loss demonstrated a highly significant increase in comprehension with the use of headphones. However, patients with yellow zone hearing loss did not show statistically significant improvement with the use of headphones, thus the benefits of this intervention rely upon the severity of hearing loss. Despite this, across both groups, 97% of patients preferred the use of headphones. Thus, the use of noise-canceling headphones in routine eye exams shows great promise in improving communication and patient satisfaction for geriatric patients with hearing loss.

This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.