The prevalence of hearing and vision loss in older Canadians: An analysis of Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Objective: To describe the prevalence of hearing loss (HL), vision loss (VL) and dual sensory loss (DSL) in Canadians aged 45-85. Methods: Data from the first wave of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were used. Audiometry and visual acuity were measured. Prevalence proportions for 2012-2015 and counts for 2011 and 2016 were estimated.Results: In 2016, 1.5 million Canadian males aged 45-85 had HL, 1.8 million had VL, and 570,000 had DSL. Among females, 1.2 million had HL, 2.2 million had VL, and 450,000 had DSL. Prevalence counts increased 8.7-16.9% between 2011 and 2016. Prevalence proportions increased with age but decreased exponentially with severity of impairment. Males were more likely to have HL and DSL; VL was more common in females.Conclusion: HL, VL and DSL are highly prevalent among older Canadian adults.