Deafblindness
Deafblindness is a mix of hearing and sight loss that impacts a person’s ability to see, communicate, access information, and get ground. The condition is often known as “multi-sensory impairment” or “dual sensory loss.”
The person with deafblindness won’t be completely deaf or blind; they will have reduced sensitivity to cause significant hardships in their daily life. These problems occur even if vision and hearing loss are mild, as one would usually compensate for the loss of the other.
Deafblindness signs
Deafblindness is more common among older adults, but it can impact people of all ages. Older people may develop the condition gradually and often miss out on realizing the symptoms.
Signs can include:
- Need to turn up the TV volume
- Difficulties following a conversation
- Unable to near door knock
- Requesting others to talk loudly
- Need to hold newspapers closely
Deafblindness causes
Potential causes for deafblindness are:
- Some are born with the condition
- Age-related hearing loss
- Genetic conditions
- Cataracts
- Cerebral palsy (a problem that affects the brain and nervous system)
Living with deafblindness
There is a range of support and care services available for deafblind people. Each deafblind person has different sight and hearing loss levels, meaning they all require special individual care.
Some common care for all deafblind people are:
- Maximize and preserve the remaining hearing or sight ability (including wearing glasses, cataracts surgery, implants, or hearing aid)
- Teach alternative ways of communicating (including braille or hand signs)
- Help develop independence as much as possible (training the person to use a cane, a guide dog, or a communicator guide)
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022