Ageing Gracefully - Raffles Medical Group

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Feature Raffles HealthNews 1. Eye The most common eye condition affecting the elderly is cataract. In a local study in 1997, 78.6% of 3000 elderly aged 60 and above suffers from cataract. The other top three eye conditions include agerelated macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Explains Dr Lee Jong Jian, Ophthalmologist and Consultant at Raffles Eye Centre, “Cataract is the clouding of the natural lens in our eye, resulting in blurring of vision. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. Some signs and symptoms include gradual blurring of vision, glare and sensitivity to light.” Early cataract may be corrected with glasses. If there is no improvement, surgery is the best option with a high success rate of more than 98%. Over the years, the intraocular lens (IOL) used has become more advanced. The toric IOL can also simultaneously correct astigmatism and cataract. There are also accommodative and multifocal lens which can restore both distance and near vision. Some eye care practitioners believe that a diet high in antioxidants such as beta-carotene (vitamin A), selenium and vitamins C and E, may slow down cataract development. Sunglasses to prevent ultraviolet light rays exposure may also slow down cataract progression. Phacoemulsification Technique Lens Implant The phacoemulsification machine has an ultrasonic probe that vibrates back and forth at a high frequency to break the cataract into tiny pieces and gently remove them out of the eye. A customised artificial lens (intraocular lens or IOL) is then implanted back into the eye to restore the focusing power of the eye. 2. Ear As one ages, hearing problems become increasingly common. Presbycusis, or agerelated hearing loss, is most commonly caused by gradual changes in the inner ear. As one grows older, structures of the ear can become less responsive to sound waves, contributing to hearing loss. The disorder occurs in about 25% of people aged 65 to 75 and in 70 - 80% of those over age 75. Dr Stephen Lee, ENT Surgeon, Consultant at Raffles ENT Centre shared that the following factors may also cause hearing loss: • The combined effect of a lifetime of exposure to loud noises • Hereditary factors • Health conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, which affect the blood supply available to the ear. • Some medications, such as aspirin and certain antibiotics For a person with presbycusis, sounds seem deeper and less clear. Other symptoms include: • Others’ speech seems mumbled or slurred • Difficulty in hearing high-pitched sounds • Hard to follow conversations • Background noise interferes with hearing • Men’s voices are easier to hear than women’s and • Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) Hearing problems can make it difficult for older people to hear doorbells, car horns, and alarms. Its effect on communication Pinna External auditory canal Lobule can also reduce a person’s physical, functional, emotional, and social well-being. It is often accompanied by isolation and depression. All these can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even dangerous. There are devices to help you hear and communicate more easily, including hearing aids and assistive listening and alerting devices, such as telephone amplifiers. If you have trouble hearing, speak to your doctor to find out if you have a hearing loss; and if you are suffering from hearing loss, how to treat it. Malleus Eardrum Semicircular canals Stapes Incus Vestibular cochlear nerve Cochlea Eustachian tube
Raffles HealthNews Feature Pelvis Cartilage Femur Loss of cartilage Joint capsule Inflamed joint 3. Joints Older patients often come by to see Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr Lim Lian Arn, a Consultant at Raffles Orthopaedic Centre, for their painful joints. Arthritis, a problem faced by many elderly, is a condition that involves inflammation of a person’s joints. Patients with arthritis suffer joint pain because the normal healthy lining of their joints is damaged by the arthritic process. If you have any of the following symptoms, you should see your doctor or a specialist for evaluation and treatment: • Joint pain that worsens with activity and does not go away without treatment after two or three weeks • Joint pain associated with joint swelling and stiffness. Occasionally the joint pain and stiffness is worse in the morning and gets temporarily better after some activity • Joint deformity such as “bow-legs” or “knock knees” • Joint pain associated with redness, warmth and swelling In the early stages of arthritis, oral medications, injections, external braces and physiotherapy can control arthritis. In the later stages, when there has been too much cartilage destruction, surgery gives options that can predictably reduce pain and correct deformities. Surgery for arthritis includes keyhole arthroscopic surgery, cartilage replacement surgery, osteotomy to correct limb alignment and joint replacement surgery. “Joint replacement surgery is usually done after all other methods fail to provide relief,” said Dr Lim, “It has a low complication rate; these include deep vein thrombosis and wound infection.” Joint replacement surgery replaces the worn out surfaces of the joint with metal and plastic. The metal and plastic parts reproduce the motions of a normal joint. The pain, deformity and restricted motion of an arthritic joint can be eliminated and function can be reliably restored. Prevention And Early Intervention Measures • Weight loss and appropriate exercise • Wearing good footwear including corrective heel inserts • Minimising excessive stresses on joints at work or recreation • Maintaining good posture at work, rest and recreation • Taking appropriate supplements such as glucosamine
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