Combined Vision and Hearing Difficulties Results in Higher Levels of Depression and Chronic Anxiety: Data From a Large Sample of Spanish Adults

ObjectiveIndividually, vision and hearing impairments have been linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression. We investigated the effect of dual sensory impairment (difficulty seeing and hearing) in a large representative sample of Spanish adults.MethodsData from a total of 23,089 adults (age range: 15–103 years, 45.9% men) from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 were analyzed. Self-reported difficulty of seeing and hearing (exposures), and depression and chronic anxiety (outcomes) were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was assessed for difficulty with vision alone, hearing alone and with difficulty with both, adjusting for gender, age, marital status, living as a couple, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical activity, use of glasses/contact lenses, and hearing aid.ResultsVisual difficulty, hearing difficulty, and dual difficulties were all associated with significantly higher odds for depression (ORs 2.367, 2.098, and 3.852, respectively) and for chronic anxiety (ORs 1.983, 1.942, and 3.385, respectively). Dual sensory difficulty was associated with higher odds ratios for depression and anxiety when compared to either impairment alone.ConclusionDual sensory difficulty is associated with significantly higher odds of anxiety and depression when compared to either vision or hearing difficulty alone. Appropriate interventions are needed to address any reversible causes of vision and hearing as well as anxiety and depression in people in these specific groups.

SportsCenter: A Case Study of Media Framing U.S. Sport as the COVID-19 Epicenter

When COVID-19 enveloped sport, it presented SportsCenter, ESPN’s primary news vehicle, with an unexpected and ironic form of “March Madness,” with basketball as the sporting epicenter for a pandemic. This case study applied an ethnographic content analysis to examine how the cancellation or postponement of sport as a result of COVID-19 was framed across 22 episodes of SportsCenter from March 8 to 14, 2020. More than 134 min of coverage was devoted to COVID-19-related stories, and 268 unique types of stories were produced. Descriptive statistics suggested that COVID-19 was framed as having a direct impact on U.S. men’s professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament. When considering news format characteristics, SportsCenter produced its coverage through convenience and relevance to ESPN, not sport. Even during a “breaking news” pandemic, SportsCenter retained its long-standing news process of gender bias and nationalistic favoritism. The visual difficulty of how to “show” coronavirus also presented a production challenge, but the messages and cues embedded in the visuals depicted a rapid shift in discourse that focused on basic reporting without health or global context. Instead, SportsCenter overwhelmed viewers with how sport was ripped away from (U.S.) American society.

An A Priori Measure of Visual Difficulty of 2-D Sketches Depicting 3-D Objects

Aiming to enhance understanding of visual obstacles inherent in two-dimensional (2-D) sketches used in high school spatial geometry instruction, we propose a measure of visual difficulty based on two attributes of the sketches: potentially misleading geometrical information (PMI) and potentially helpful geometrical information (PHI). The difficulty of 12 normatively oriented cube-related sketches was theoretically ranked according to their ratios, #PHI/#PMI. The ranking was compared to the actual visual difficulty as measured by the percentage of correct or desired comprehension, individual spatial ability, and study-time allocation. This procedure was repeated for unnormatively oriented sketches, obtained by vertically flipping the original sketches. In both cases, the findings substantiate #PHI/#PMI as an a priori measure of visual difficulty. Practical, theoretical, and methodological implications are inspected and discussed.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF TUNNEL LED LIGHTING MAINTENANCE FACTOR

ABSTRACT: It is necessary to periodically maintain lighting equipment in accordance with international standards. Contamination of lamps caused by long-term use of lighting equipment will result in loss of Luminous Flux and optical losses. The decrease in lighting performance poses a visual difficulty for drivers and causes accidents. In this study, the total Maintenance Factor is numerically examined by considering the losses of diffuser and lens for LED lamps used in tunnel lighting. The variation of luminaries performance with years considering Maintenance Factors as regards environmental conditions and features of the luminaries is evaluated to demonstrate the importance of tunnel lighting maintenance. Moreover, to show the importance of LED lamps Maintenance Factor, the variation of illumination levels of LED lamps is analysed under different Maintenance Factors. It is observed that enhancing Maintenance Factor would contribute to energy efficiency. ABSTRAK: Penjagaan peralatan cahaya secara berkala mengikut piawai kebangsaan adalah amat penting. Pencemaran lampu disebabkan penggunaan peralatan cahaya pada jangka panjang akan menyebabkan kehilangan kilauan kerdipan lampu dan optik. Pengurangan pencahayaan ini menyebabkan kesukaran pandangan pada pemandu dan menyebabkan kemalangan jiwa. Kajian ini mengkaji tentang jumlah Faktor Penjagaan secara numerik dengan mengambil kira pengurangan difuser dan kanta pada lampu LED yang digunakan dalam terowong pencahayaan. Faktor Penjagaan pada perubahan kilauan berdasarkan tahun mengambil kira keadaan sekeliling dan ciri khas kilauan. Tambahan, ini dinilai bagi menunjukkan kepentingan penjagaan terowong pencahayaan dan kepentingan Faktor Penjagaan Lampu LED. Perubahan pada tahap terang pada lampu LED dikaji dengan mengambil kira Faktor Penjagaan. Peningkatan pada Faktor Penjagaan telah didapati dapat menjimatkan tenaga.

Vision problems in children - a review

<b>Introduction</b>: A vision problem is a condition which involves not only visual difficulty but also blindness. <b>Purpose</b>: The purpose of this short review study is the early recognition of vision problems in children, the proper treatment as well as their prevention. <b>Materials and methods</b>: The material of the study has been recent articles on the subject that have been found mainly in the electronic database Medline, (HEAL-Link), with the following keywords: children, vision impairment, blindness, treatment, prevention. <b>Review</b>: A high risk group of individuals that frequently presents ophthalmic severe lesions leading to blindness consists of children with prenatal and perinatal adverse effects. <b>Conclusions</b>: Education gives the opportunity of co-existence between the blind and people who are able to see. This is the path to social inclusion of individuals with vision problems. Moreover, it is estimated these two groups would have more points in common than differences between them through this experience.