Human Growth and Development / Unit 13 HGD 1806 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Presbyopia and Presbycusis
The idea
Two sensory changes define middle adulthood. Presbyopia, Latin for "old vision," is the lens losing elasticity, so that near objects blur; anyone over about thirty-five is at risk, and reading glasses compensate. Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss, affecting high frequencies first, running in families and affecting both ears; smoking, hypertension and diabetes worsen it. The pupil also adjusts less to light, making night driving harder.
In practice
A forty-six-year-old holding a menu at arm's length and struggling to follow a conversation in a noisy restaurant.
Where people slip
Macular degeneration, deterioration of the retina, is a separate condition, not part of presbyopia. Tinnitus, a persistent ringing in the ears, often accompanies hearing loss. Exam items pair the term with the sense: presbyopia with near vision, presbycusis with hearing.
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