Cataract and hearing lo in a population-baed tudy: the Beaver Dam tudie

PURPOE: Cataract and hearing lo are each common at older age and together may influence the ability to function independently and affect the ene of well-being. For thee reaon, we ought to etimate the rik factor for comorbidity of age-related cataract and hearing lo. METHOD: A cro-ectional evaluation of a population-baed cohort of older adult wa conducted in Beaver Dam, Wiconin, for preence of age-related cataract and hearing lo. The tudy evaluation included taking tandardized medical hitorie, meauring blood preure, and obtaining blood pecimen. tandardized photograph, which were graded according to well-defined protocol to ae the preence of nuclear, cortical or poterior ubcapular cataract, were taken. Audiometric teting wa performed according to well-defined tudy protocol. REULT: Any type of cataract in combination with hearing lo in either ear wa frequent, occurring in 27.8% of the population overall and increaing conitently with age. Nuclear and poterior ubcapular cataract in combination with hearing lo occurred more often in men. Lifetyle factor that were aociated with at leat one cataract–hearing lo end point in at leat one ex were hitory of heavy drinking and moking. CONCLUION: In thi community, older adult appear to be at high rik of cataract and hearing lo. Although rik i trongly aociated with age, ome elective expoure appear to influence rik. It i poible that modification of certain lifetyle habit may alter thee rik