Sensory impairments
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Follow the links below to find trusted information about sensory impairments.
Last reviewed: May 2018
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Anosmia - loss of smell - Better Health Channel
People are less sensitive to smells the older they get, and women tend to have a more acute sense of smell than men.
Read more on Better Health Channel website
Vision impairment & blindness: children | Raising Children Network
Vision impairment covers vision problems like low vision, vision loss, and blindness. Children with vision impairment get a lot out of early intervention.
Read more on Raising Children Network website
Parenting and Child Health - Health Topics - Vision impairment - children
Vision impairment is a condition that prevents normal vision in one or both eyes
Read more on Women's and Children's Health Network website
Feelix Childrens Library | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services
At the Vision Australia Feelix Library, children from a young age can enjoy stories with their parents and siblings, and learn about braille.About FeelixReading plays a key role in the learning and development of any child, and Feelix helps children learn and develop in a unique, sensory way to support literacy.Children 0-7 years old who are blind or have low vision can become a member of the Feelix Library.
Read more on Vision Australia website
Deafness and hearing impairment: children
If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, there might be challenges ahead. Early intervention and modern technology helps children reach their full potential.
Read more on Raising Children Network website
Cortical Vision Impairment | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services
What is cortical visionimpairment?Cortical visionimpairment (CVI) can be either a temporary or a permanent visionimpairment caused by the disturbance of the visual cortex or posterior visual pathways of the brain. The degree of neurological impairment depends upon the time of onset and the location and intensity of the damage. The eyes may function normally but the visual systems of the brain do not consistently understand or interpret what the eyes see.
Read more on Vision Australia website
Parenting and Child Health - Health Topics - Children with hearing loss - hearing impairment
Colds, infections, allergies and flu can temporarily reduce hearing
Read more on Women's and Children's Health Network website
Support for people who are blind or vision impaired | Vision Initiative
Information about services available to help people who are experiencing vision loss
Read more on Vision Initiative website
Newly diagnosed | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services
If you have recently been diagnosed with a vision impairment you probably have a lot of questions and concerns.You may be feeling overwhelmed by the diagnosis and are not sure what kinds of questions to ask. You can contact us to ask questions or to make a referral.
Read more on Vision Australia website
Mobility benefits and entitlements | Vision Australia. Blindness and low vision services
There are various mobility and transport benefits available to people who are blind or have low vision.Vision Impaired Travel PassThe Vision Impaired Travel Pass is for people who are legally blind and are permanent residents of Victoria, NSW, or Queensland and entitles you to free public transport travel.For more information call:
Read more on Vision Australia website
Top results
Interventions for sensory impairment in the upper limb after stroke | Cochrane
Up to 80% of people who have a stroke experience sensory loss in their affected arm. This sensory loss puts the arm at risk for injury and impacts functional use of the arm and the survivors' level of independence during daily activities. We found 13 studies involving 467 participants that tested different treatments for sensory loss. There is limited evidence that these treatments may be effective. No more than one study examined each particular intervention, frequently the studies were of poor quality and lacked sufficient information. Further research is needed before clear recommendations can be made.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Interventions for atrophic rhinitis | Cochrane
Atrophic rhinitis is a chronic nasal condition with unknown cause. It is characterised by the formation of thick dry crusts in a roomy nasal cavity, which has resulted from progressive wasting away or decrease in size (atrophy) of the mucous nasal lining (mucosa) and underlying bone. The various symptoms include foetor (strong offensive smell), crusting/nasal obstruction, nosebleeds, anosmia (loss of smell) or cacosmia (hallucination of disagreeable odour), secondary infection, maggot infestation, nasal deformity, pharyngitis, otitis media and even, rarely, extension into the brain and its membranes. Atrophic rhinitis can be classed as primary or, where it is a consequence of another condition or event, secondary. Its prevalence varies in different regions of the world but it is common in tropical countries. A wide variety of treatments have been described in the literature, however treatment is usually conservative (for example, nasal irrigation and douches; nose drops (e.g. glucose-glycerine, liquid paraffin); antibiotics and antimicrobials; vasodilators (drugs that cause dilation of blood vessels) and prostheses). Surgical treatment aims to decrease the size of the nasal cavities, promote regeneration of normal mucosa, increase lubrication of dry nasal mucosa and improve the vascularity (blood flow) of the nasal cavities.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
No evidence-based treatment option for inhalant dependence or abuse | Cochrane
Inhalants are being abused by large numbers of people throughout the world, particularly socio-economically disadvantaged children and adolescents. This agent can cause many brain problems, for example, abnormal movement, sensory impairment, learning/memory impairment. Authors aimed to search and determine risks, benefits and costs of a variety treatments for inhalant dependence or abuse. Despite comprehensive searches of studies, the authors found no high quality study and, therefore, could not make any recommendation for the treatment of inhalant dependence or abuse. Research in this area is needed.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Auditory-verbal therapy for promoting spoken language development in children with permanent hearing impairments | Cochrane
Auditory-verbal therapy for promoting spoken language development in children with permanent hearing impairments
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Orientation and mobility training for people with low vision | Cochrane
Progressive visual impairment often affects people as they age. Training is used to help people with low vision maintain travel independence, with new orientation and mobility skills to compensate for reduced visual information. Orientation is the ability to recognise one's position in relation to the environment, whereas mobility is the ability to move around safely and efficiently. Orientation and mobility (O&M) training teaches people to use their remaining vision and other senses to get around. Canes and optical aids may also be used.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Assistive technology (electronic aids) for children and young people with low vision | Cochrane
To assess the effect of electronic aids on reading, educational outcomes and quality of life in children and young people with low vision, also called 'being partially sighted' or 'having a sight impairment'.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Hearing aids for tinnitus in people with hearing loss | Cochrane
Tinnitus describes 'ringing', 'whooshing' or 'hissing' sounds that are heard in the absence of any corresponding external sound. About 10% of people experience tinnitus and for some it has a significant negative impact on their quality of life. Tinnitus is commonly associated with some form of hearing loss and is possibly the result of hearing loss-related changes in brain activity. It is logical to think, therefore, that providing people who have hearing loss and tinnitus with a hearing aid will not only improve their ability to hear sound but will also reduce their tinnitus symptoms. Hearing aids increase the volume at which people hear external sounds so this may help mask or cover up the tinnitus sound. They also improve communication, which may reduce the symptoms often associated with tinnitus such as stress or anxiety. Hearing aids may also improve tinnitus symptoms by reducing or reversing abnormal types of nerve cell activity that are thought to be related to tinnitus. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the evidence from high-quality clinical trials that try to work out the effects hearing aids have on people's tinnitus. We particularly wanted to look at how bothersome their tinnitus is, how depressed or anxious tinnitus patients are and whether hearing aid use has an effect on patterns of brain activity thought to be associated with tinnitus.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Interventions to prevent hearing loss caused by noise at work | Cochrane
Millions of workers are exposed to noise levels that increase the risk of hearing loss and hearing impairment. In many countries there are mandatory hearing loss prevention programmes (HLPPs), which are considered an effective means to prevent noise induced hearing loss. However, the evidence for this assumption is unclear.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Steroids for the treatment of sudden hearing loss with unknown cause | Cochrane
A sudden onset of hearing loss due to disease of the hearing organs is a medical emergency and requires prompt recognition and treatment. In addition to the hearing impairment, patients may also suffer from symptoms of tinnitus (background ringing noise), a sensation of ear fullness and dizziness. In many instances medical specialists are able to find the cause and treat the hearing impairment. However, in a large proportion of patients, no known cause of the sudden hearing loss can be found. Steroids are commonly used to treat patients with sudden hearing loss of an unknown origin. The specific action of the steroids in the hearing apparatus is uncertain. It is possible that the steroid treatment improves hearing because of its ability to reduce inflammation and oedema (swelling) in the hearing organs. The review of the trials showed a lack of good-quality evidence for the effectiveness of steroids in the treatment of sudden hearing loss of an unknown origin. The quality of the trials was generally low and more research is needed.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Antiviral drugs for sudden hearing loss (without known cause) | Cochrane
Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is sudden loss of hearing where clinical assessment has failed to reveal a cause. Patients may also suffer from additional symptoms such as tinnitus (a background ringing noise), together with dizziness and a sensation of fullness in the ear. Prompt investigation is essential to identify and treat the hearing impairment. In a large proportion of patients, however, no cause can be found.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
