Sensory Loss free essay sample

Acquired Sensory Loss This is when somebody is born without any sensory loss, but then has an accident or illness which causes a sensory loss. Illness Diabetes: The most serious complication of diabetes for the eye is the development of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes affects the tiny blood vessels of the eye and if they become blocked or leak then the retina and possibly your vision will be affected. Measles: Measles blindness is the single leading cause of blindness among children in low income countries, accounting for an estimated 15,000 to 60,000 cases of blindness per year. There is a close synergism between measles and vitamin A deficiency that can result in xerophthalmia, with corneal ulceration, keratomalacia, and subsequent corneal scarring or phthisis bulbi. Glaucoma: Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the optic nerve is damaged in a characteristic pattern. This can permanently damage vision in the affected eye(s) and lead to blindness if left untreated. We will write a custom essay sample on Sensory Loss or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is normally associated with increased fluid pressure in the eye Perforated ear: If you have a perforated eardrum, your hearing may be affected. The extent of any hearing loss will depend on the size of the hole in your eardrum. A small puncture may only cause a slight loss of hearing, whereas a large puncture is likely to cause greater hearing loss. The hearing loss is only temporary and your hearing will return once your eardrum has healed. Swimmers ear: Otitis externa is often referred to as swimmers ear, as repeated exposure to water can make the ear canal more vulnerable to inflammation. Symptoms of otitis externa include: †¢ Ear pain, which can range from moderate to severe †¢ A discharge of liquid or pus from the ear †¢ Some degree of temporary hearing loss Usually only one ear is affected. With treatment, these symptoms should clear up within two-to-three days. In some cases the symptoms can persist for several months, which is known as chronic otitis externa. disease There are genetic conditions like Usher: people with Usher III experience a progressive loss of hearing and roughly half have vestibular dysfunction. The frequency of Usher syndrome type III is highest in the Finnish population, but it has been noted rarely in a few other ethnic groups. Alstrom: This condition is very rare; about 500 affected people have been reported worldwide. Alstrom syndrome is a condition that affects many body systems. Many of the signs and symptoms of this condition begin in infancy or early childhood, although some appear later in life. Alstrom syndrome is characterized by a progressive loss of vision and hearing, Stickler: Children who have Stickler syndrome often experience eye disorders more commonly associated with older adults. †¢ Severe nearsightedness. Children with Stickler syndrome are often born with severe nearsightedness, a vision disorder in which you can see near objects clearly, but objects farther away appear blurry. Cataracts. Some children with Stickler syndrome are born with cataracts, a clouding of the focusing lens within the eye. Cataracts also may develop later in childhood. †¢ Glaucoma. Glaucoma causes the pressure within the eye to increase, sometimes to the point that the optic nerve is damaged. †¢ Retinal detachments. Problems with the lining of the eyeball, called the retina, are common with Sticklers syndrome. The retina is crucial to vision, so blindness can result if it pulls away or tears free from the back of the eyeball. The extent of hearing loss varies among people who have Stickler syndrome. It usually affects the ability to hear high frequencies and tends to worsen over time. Accident There are many accidents that can cause blindness and deafness, from car accidents to sporting or work accidents. Old age can also be a cause of sensory loss. Acquired Acquired Deafblindness is when a person is born without a sensory impairment and at some time in their life develops both or is born with a single sensory impairment and at some time in their life develops the second. This may be due to an accident, illness, a genetic condition, e. g. a syndrome such as Usher, Alstrom, and Stickler, etc. or as a result of aging in later life. In children and young people if these problems occur later in life, this is called acquired Deafblindness. From skillsforcare. org. uk Congenital When someone is born with combined sight and hearing difficulties this is called congenital Deafblindness. Examples of this include conditions such as Rubella or CHARGE. Congenital can also refer to people who have lost vision/ hearing before the acquisition of language, i. . in their very early years. From skillsforcare. org. uk †¢ Deaf: deaf with a small d simply refers to the medical condition of hearing loss. However, most people who use BSL/ ISL refer to themselves as Deaf. The use of upper case D indicates a language preference and is also a political and cultural term of belonging to the Deaf community. It is used in the same way that people who belong to a national, cul tural or religious group would describe themselves, for example, as French or Muslim. It is for this reason that many Deaf people do ot define themselves as disabled, rather they describe themselves as belonging to a cultural or linguistic minority †¢ Deafened: A person who was born hearing and subsequently became severely or profoundly deaf †¢ Hard of hearing: A general term used to describe people with a range of hearing loss and communication needs †¢ Deaf blind: This term applies to people with dual sensory loss. Some people who are Deaf blind have no hearing or vision; others have a degree of hearing loss or vision impairment Some of the signs for sight loss could be over cautious driving habits. Find lighting either: too bright or too dim, Frequent eyeglass prescription changes, Holding books or reading material close to face or at arms length, Squinting or tilting the head to see, Difficulty in recognizing people, Changes in leisure time activities. Change in personal appearance Changes in table etiquette, moving about cautiously, Bumping into objects and Acting confused or disoriented. Some signs for deafness People seem to mumble more frequently. You experience ringing in your ears. You often ask people to repeat themselves. You often ask people to repeat themselves. Your family complains that you play the Radio or TV too loudly. You no longer hear normal household sounds, Such as the dripping of a faucet or the ringing of a doorbell. You have difficulty understanding a conversation when in a large group or crowd You have trouble understanding all the words in a conversation You find Telephone conversation increasingly difficult You have trouble hearing when your back is turned to the speaker. You have been told you speak too loudly. PROPLEMS WITH DAILY LIVING Rooms/Furniture Make sure there are clear travel paths in hallways and through rooms. Rearrange furniture so there are no trip hazards. Coffee tables are fine for sighted people, but can be a trip hazard especially for elderly visually impaired people. The same is true of other household clutter such as throw rugs and childrens toys. Keep things in specific places since a visually impaired person cant scan the room looking for something. Moving things around such as furniture can be confusing until they learn the new set-up. Stairs/Ramps Mark all steps both inside and outside the house with contrasting colours. Paint the handrails a contrasting colour from the wall. A good way to mark steps is to paint a yellow stripe on the edge of the step. Paint a strip at the beginning and end of ramps too. Kitchen High quality florescent lighting is the best bet for the kitchen, laundry room, and shop. Appliances with controls on the front make life easier and safer for the visually impaired. Every thing has its place in a visually impaired persons kitchen. Moving the baking powder from one shelf to another can ruin a whole recipe. Kitchen cabinet doors left open are very dangerous A rehabilitation teacher from an agency for the blind and visually impaired can help with adapting appliances like: stoves, microwave ovens, washers, dryers, thermostats, etc. They can also teach new cooking techniques. Socially Blindness may also cause difficulties with participating in activities outside of a workplace, such as sports and academics. Many of these social challenges limit a blind persons ability to meet people, and this only adds to low self-esteem. Technology Technology poses a challenge for blind people as well. For example, a blind person cannot read the information on a web page. Searching the Internet requires screen reading software will read the information on a website, but this may require a significant amount of time to learn the process. People who have limited vision may have difficulty with viewing websites as well, particularly the small fonts, icons and screen colors used by many sites, says the University of Wisconsin. People with low vision may require special equipment that can enlarge a screen significantly. Other technology, such as music players that require visual selection of music, or text messages, will also cause challenges for blind people. Signs and symptoms Blindness Holding books or reading material close to face or at arms length, Bumping into objects and Acting confused or disoriented. , Find lighting either: too bright or too dim, Difficulty in recognizing people, Sitting close to TV, Squinting when looking for things. Deafness, TV or radio too loud, Cannot hear you talking if you are behind them. Asking you to repeat yourself. Cannot hear telephone ring or hear people on the phone. AIDS FOR THE BLIND Carer support for the blind person to help with everyday tasks. Smartphone Mobile, cellular phones such as smartphones offer many advanced personal digital assistant capabilities. Some of these phones allow blind people to access work-related and other materials, as well as providing assisted communication capabilities. These phones have built in functions such as voiceover that assist the person when triggered by a finger rolling over the screen of the phone. Navigation Tools Handheld navigation tools contain keyboards with Braille and a synthesized voice mechanism that can help the blind person to navigate to different places as he walks to destinations. This type of tool cannot replace a guide dog, Electronic Cane Device This type of cane contains sensitive sensors that help the person who suffers from blindness by making her aware of different variables in the environment as she walks to his destination. The importance of knowing the variables plays a key safety role in a blind persons desire to get to a destination. And of course guide dogs. AIDS FOR THE DEAF Hearing aids help amplify sounds for those who are not completely deaf, allowing them to make out words and sounds. Alarm clocks for the deaf and hard of hearing feature flashing and vibrating features to help individuals wake up without an audible alarm. Some clocks feature one or the other, though alarm clocks are available that feature both lights and vibrations. Much like alarm clocks for the deaf, visual alert signallers provide flashing lights or vibrations to let a hard-of-hearing individual know that the doorbell is ringing or that certain sounds are being made. INFORMATION Locally doctor, social worker, charities and nationally web sites like www. bda. org. uk and www. sense. org. uk and lots others PERCENTAGE OF SENSORY LOSS Around 360,000 people are registered blind or partially sighted in the UK. †¢ 299,000 in England (NHSIC, 2011) †¢ 34,500 in Scotland (Scottish Government, 2010) †¢ 16,000 in Wales (Welsh Assembly Government, 2010) †¢ 8,000 in Northern Ireland (RNIB estimate) †¢ 1 in 5 people aged 75 and over are living with sight loss †¢ 1 in 2 people aged 90 and over are living with sight loss †¢ 63 per cent of people with sight loss are female, 37 per cent are male.