Alternative Names age-related changes in the senses
Definition Certain changes in the five senses occur with age.
What is the information for this topic? The five senses are hearing, sight, taste, smell and touch. Each of these may become less sharp with age. Details or subtle changes a person once appreciated may go unnoticed. Sensory changes can have tremendous impact on an individual. These changes may make it hard for a person to communicate, enjoy certain activities and interact with others. This can lead to a sense of isolation and loneliness.
Through senses that pick up light, sound or temperature, for example, a person gains much information about the world. This information is changed into nerve signals and carried to the brain. There it is turned into a message that he or she can understand. But the brain requires a minimal amount of stimulation before it can recognise a sensation. As a person ages, this level is raised and more sensation is needed. Usually, the biggest changes occur in hearing and sight.
The ears have two jobs. One is hearing. The other is balance. As a person ages, certain parts of the ear lose some of their ability to function properly. This can make it harder to hear and maintain balance. Older people often cannot hear high-pitched sounds as well as younger people. This is a part of normal age-related hearing loss. Earwax becomes drier with age and is more likely to get impacted. This can affect hearing, as well.
Hearing often grows less sharp around the age of 50 and declines further as a person gets older. With random testing, as many as 30% of people over age 65 may have significant hearing loss.
Some hearing loss can be prevented by wearing earplugs or protective headgear during loud activities. It is best to start this habit at a young age before hearing loss occurs.
A person who notices hearing loss should discuss the problem with his or her doctor. In some cases, earwax may just need to be cleaned from the ears. Otherwise, the doctor can refer the person for an evaluation of hearing loss. Depending on the problem, options to improve hearing may include different types of hearing aids or surgery.
The second sense that can undergo major changes with age is sight. Ageing affects the eyes in many ways. Older eyes produce fewer tears and cause dry eyes. This injures the cornea, the covering on the front part of the eye. The pupil, the black dot in the centre of the eye, loses its ability to open and shut easily to control the amount of light that is let in. As this happens, it gets harder to respond to bright light and darkness. The lens, which helps focus images, becomes less flexible. This is why reading glasses may be needed to focus on objects that are close to the body.
The eye cannot move as well as it did in younger days because its muscles decrease with age. Some nerve cells in the retina die off, making it harder to see fine details. Certain diseases of the eye are more common with age and may cause vision loss. An example is cataracts of the eye, which are quite common, though not considered normal. Any change in vision should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
Taste and smell may also undergo changes during the ageing process. These two senses are closely intertwined. Together taste and smell help a person appreciate many foods. As a person tastes something, he or she also smells it. And in fact, many smells also have a certain amount of taste.
The sense of smell is also important for safety. It can help a person detect dangerous gases, smoke or spoiled food. Smell also brings pleasure to social and sexual interactions and allows a person to be able to stop and smell the roses.
There is no evidence that ageing changes taste and smell. However, studies have found that the number of taste buds, or areas where taste can be detected, decreases with age. The remaining taste buds also lose some of the ability to taste. As a person ages, he or she produces less saliva, which may also affect taste.
Finally, the sense of touch involves the ability to feel vibration, pressure, temperature and pain. Many studies report a decreased sense of touch with ageing. It is hard to tell whether or not the changes are due to growing older or reflect changes due to certain illnesses in the elderly.
Regardless of the cause, many people notice changes in their sense of touch as they age. Anyone who feels that there has been such a change should be very careful around hot objects and in cold areas. This can help to prevent skin damage, such as burns or frostbite.
Losses in any of the senses should be discussed with a doctor. He or she will look for health-related causes or medications that might cause the problem. Treatment may be available to help compensate for the loss.
Author: James Broomfield, MD Reviewer: HealthAnswers Australia Medical Review Panel Editor: Dr David Taylor, Chief Medical Officer HealthAnswers Australia Last Updated: 1/10/2001 Contributors Potential conflict of interest information for reviewers available on request
