March 12, 2008

Health Tip: Age Affects the Senses

(HealthDay News) - Getting older leads to many changes involving your senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

Here are common ways that aging impacts the senses, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• Parts of the ear begin to deteriorate as you get older, potentially affecting your hearing and balance.
• Vision can begin to deteriorate due to age as early as your 30s. By the time you reach 55, you are likely to need glasses -- at least part of the time. Problems with dry eyes, the sharpness of your vision, and inability to tolerate glare and bright lights are common.
• The number of taste buds decreases as you age, and you produce less saliva, which can impact taste.
• Sense of smell often decreases with age, commonly due to deterioration of the nerve endings in the nose.
• Many older people become less sensitive to heat, cold, pain, vibration or pressure.

-- Diana Kohnle

id=613318