Efficacy of low-vision devices in elderly population with age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of blindness, residual damage to macular area in spite of treatment necessitates visual rehabilitation by means of low-vision aids (LVAs). Methods: Thirty patients suffering from different stages of AMD requiring LVAs were included in this prospective study. Patients with nonprogressive, adequately treated AMD were enrolled over a 12-month period, prescribed requisite LVAs and followed-up for a minimum 1-month period. Before and after provision of LVAs, near work efficiencies were evaluated by calculating reading speed as words per minute (wpm) under both photopic and mesopic light conditions, and impact of poor vision on activities of daily living (ADL) was quantified by modified standard questionnaire based on Nhung X et al. questionnaire. Results: Of the 30 patients mean studied with mean age of 68 ± 10 years, 20 patients (66.7%) had dry AMD in better eye and 10 (33.3%) had wet AMD. Post-LVA, near visual acuity improved significantly and all cases were able to read some letters on near vision chart with an average improvement of 2.4 ± 0.96 lines. The different LVAs prescribed were high plus reading spectacles (up to 10 D) in 23.3%, hand-held magnifiers in 53.3%, base in prisms in 10%, stand held magnifiers in 6.7%, and bar and dome magnifiers in 3.3%. Conclusion: LVAs are effective in visual rehabilitation in patients with AMD. Self-reported reduction in visual dependency and improvement in vision-related quality of life post use of aids corroborated perceived benefit.

Amplified music with headphones and its implications on hearing health in teens.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the habits and behavior of adolescents exposed to amplified music with headphones and its implications on their hearing health. METHODS: One hundred thirty-one high school students, aged 15 to 18 years were given a questionnaire containing closed questions regarding their habits and behavior related to personal stereos use. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study and used the Chi-square test. RESULTS: It was shown that 79% of young people make use of portable music devices, 61.83% have a habit of using them often, 34.35% have long periods of exposure, and 37.40% use them at high volume. In terms of symptoms, present were: difficulty concentrating 63.36%; the need to ask people to repeat what was said 64.12%; the need to increase the TV volume 43.51%; tinnitus 38.93%, excitability 38.93%; and 36.64% of teens say they are somewhat worried about losing their hearing through the use of personal stereos. For the preventive aspects, 90.84% believe that noise is part of society, 80.92% find it important to reduce noise pollution, 51.91% would like to know the influence of the noise/pollution, but 74.81% would not like to participate in projects with questions about hearing health. CONCLUSION: The youths in this study are making indiscriminate use of personal stereos with headphones, within a population at risk for hearing loss considering its habits. Hearing Health Promotion Programs are recommended for this population.