A recent study showed that older adults who have had cataract surgery and wear hearing aids are far less likely to experience a fall. Since a fall can cause a major change in the quality of life, the study recommended that people do not wait too long after being diagnosed with cataracts before scheduling surgery. Since cataracts can cause a drastic change in vision, they are usually noticed long before a hearing loss. If you are over 60, periodic hearing checks are important for early … [Read more...]

Mild, Moderate, or Severe Hearing Loss: What’s the Difference? After a hearing evaluation, many patients ask me “how bad is it?” We classify hearing loss as being either mild, moderate, severe, or profound. Frequently when I explain the hearing loss, the response I get back is “well that’s not too bad.” Even a mild hearing loss can have a profound impact on your ability to communicate effectively and on your brain function. Perhaps if we compare nearsightedness with hearing loss, it … [Read more...]

Several years ago, I met a wonderful couple. Both were in their 80s and had a long and very happy marriage. They had both been school teachers and had traveled the world to teach. The husband, who was my patient, had been interned in Indonesia by the Japanese during World War II and his wife had not known whether he was alive or dead for three or four years. Somehow, he survived and thrived and so did their marriage. They were two of the happiest most positive people that I have ever … [Read more...]