Sensory Changes with Aging

Question 1

what is refraction

Answer 1

light rays travel into the eye and are bent within the cornea and again in the lens in order to focus light onto the retina

Question 2

what is accommodation

Answer 2

the lens is able to change shape in order to bend that rays more or less

Question 3

signal transduction

Answer 3

the retina contains nerve cells (rods and cones) that transform light waves into electrical impulses and send them to the brain for interpretation

Question 4

what is the lens attached to

Answer 4

the ciliary muscle via connective fibres

Question 5

what happens when the ciliary muscle is relaxed

Answer 5

fibres get stretched to pull and flatten the lens to focus on objects farther away

Question 6

what happens when the ciliary muscles contract

Answer 6

the fibres relax to cause the lens to recoil to form a more spherical shape to focus on close objects

Question 7

what does the lens contain that makes it elastic so it can recoil when the ciliary muscle contracts

Answer 7

collagen

Question 8

what happens to the lens due to age-related change

Answer 8

gets opaque and stiff

Question 9

what happens to the cornea due to age-related change

Answer 9

cornea thickens, flattens, and gets rigid

Question 10

what happens to the retina due to age-related change

Answer 10

decreased density of cells of the neural retina

Question 11

what happens to the CNS due to age-related change

Answer 11

slower processing of visual stimuli that results in harder to ID objects, especially when moving in and out of light quickly or have a complex figure or background

Question 12

what is presbyopia

Answer 12

the normal age-related gradual loss of the eye’s ability to focus on close objects

Question 13

when does presbyopia become noticeable

Answer 13

as early as 40s with progressive worsening with age

Question 14

what is presbyopia caused by

Answer 14

stiffening of the lens that results in no longer being able to recoil as well when the ciliary muscle contracts

Question 15

what kind of treatment is there for presbyopia

Answer 15

lens correction like reading glasses or bifocals

Question 16

what are the pathological conditions of the aging eye

Answer 16

cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy

Question 17

what is cataracts

Answer 17

opacity in the lens of the eye due to crystallin misfolds and aggregates making the lens opaque

Question 18

what is crystallin

Answer 18

a protein found in the lens cells making the lens transparent

Question 19

what are symptoms of cataracts

Answer 19

decreased acuity, hazy vision, increased sensitivity to glare and harder-to see low-contrast

Question 20

what is the kind of treatment for cataracts

Answer 20

surgical removal of the lens and replace with prosthetic lens

Question 21

what is glaucoma

Answer 21

progressive optic nerve damage due to high intraocular pressure

Question 22

what does glaucoma result in

Answer 22

permanent loss of peripheral vision and blindness if left untreated

Question 23

what is open-angle glaucoma

Answer 23

slow onset raised intraocular pressure that damages he nerves of the retina and optic nerve

Question 24

what is closed-angle glaucoma

Answer 24

rapid onset of a sudden blockage of fluid outflow that rapidly elevates intraocular pressure

Question 25

what symptoms occur with closed-angle glaucoma

Answer 25

severe pain, blurry vision and halos around lights

Question 26

what kind of treatment is there for glaucoma

Answer 26

eye drops to relieve intraocular pressure

Question 27

what is macula

Answer 27

the area of the retina where the fovea is located that has a very high density of rods and cones to focus images

Question 28

what is age-related macular degeneration

Answer 28

loss of central field vision

Question 29

what are the two types of age-related macular degeneration

Answer 29

dry AMD and wet AMD

Question 30

what is dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Answer 30

a slow and progressive disease that causes build of lipid deposits in the macula

Question 31

what are the lipid deposits called in dry AMD

Answer 31

drusen

Question 32

what is wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Answer 32

dry AMD can progress to wet AMD where there's a growth of abnormal blood vessels that leak blood and fluid around the macula

Question 33

what type of age-related macular degeneration is the most common

Answer 33

dry AMD

Question 34

how to decrease the risk of AMD

Answer 34

exercise, don't smoke, and good nutrition

Question 35

what is diabetic retinopathy

Answer 35

damage to blood vessels of the eye due to chronic high blood glucose levels

Question 36

what occurs in the initial stage of diabetic retinopathy

Answer 36

microaneurysms form but are then absorbed into the retina causing temporary sigh issues like blurriness

Question 37

what occurs over time with retinopathy

Answer 37

the capillaries of the retina begin to leak fluid onto tissue causing Edema of the retina and prolonged sight issues

Question 38

what occurs in the late stage of diabetic retinopathy

Answer 38

new blood vessels grow in the retina and easily rupture, bleeding into the eye resulting in blindness

Question 39

what are symptoms of diabetic retinopathy

Answer 39

range from blurred vision, decreased contrast sensitivity and night vision issues, spotty visual field loss, and complete blindness

Question 40

what are some treatment options for diabetic retinopathy

Answer 40

control blood glucose levels, laser to treat microaneurysms, or surgically remove scar tissues

Question 41

how do sound waves enter the ear

Answer 41

reach tympanic membrane causing it to vibrate that is then transferred across 3 small bones of the middle ear that transfer vibrations to fluid waves within the cochlea to push on the flexible membrane in the cochlea at different locations to bend the hair cells that transform the mechanical signal into an electrical signal to be sent to the brain

Question 42

what is presbycusis

Answer 42

age-related hearing loss

Question 43

what percent of adults aged 60-79 years old have presbycusis

Answer 43

50%

Question 44

how does presbycusis manifest

Answer 44

slowly as bilateral loss of high-frequency sounds

Question 45

what is sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 45

damage and degeneration of sensory hair cells of the cochlea

Question 46

what is the treatment for presbycusis

Answer 46

hearing aids or cochlear implants

Question 47

what is tinnitus

Answer 47

perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus like ringing, buzzing, or whistling

Question 48

what is tinnitus due to

Answer 48

due to age-related and noise-related damage within the structure of the ear

Question 49

what can tinnitus be caused by

Answer 49

medications, nicotine, caffeine, high salt, stress, high or low blood pressure

Question 50

what is central auditory processing disorder

Answer 50

issues processing the neural stimuli like interpretation, recognition, higher-order processing that is linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia

Question 51

what are some implications of vision loss

Answer 51

activities of daily living become difficult like driving, reading and increased risk of falling

Question 52

what are some implications of hearing loss

Answer 52

disengagement, isolation, social anxiety and depression are linked to accidents and falls

Question 53

what can untreated hearing loss be associated with

Answer 53

accelerated cognitive decline and dementia