Deafblindness

Deafblindness | NHS inform Home Illnesses and conditions Symptoms and self-help Tests and treatments Healthy living Care, support and rights Scotlands Service Directory 0 Home Illnesses and conditions Eyes Deafblindness Deafblindness About deafblindness Signs and symptoms of deafblindness Causes of deafblindness Diagnosing deafblindness Managing deafblindness About deafblindness Deafblindness is a combination of sight and hearing loss that affects a persons ability to communicate, access information and get around. Its also sometimes called dual sensory loss or multi-sensory impairment. A deafblind person wont usually be totally deaf and totally blind, but both senses will be reduced enough to cause significant difficulties in everyday life. These problemscan occur evenifhearing loss andvision loss are mild, as the 2 senses work together and 1 would usually help compensate for loss of the other. Signs of deafblindness Deafblindness most commonly affects older adults, although it can affect people of all ages, including babies and young children. In older people, it may develop gradually and the person themselves may not realise their vision and/or hearing is getting worse at first. Signs of a problemcan include: needing to turn up the volume on the television or radio difficulty following a conversation not hearing noisessuch as a knock at the door asking others to speak loudly, slowly and more clearly needing to hold books or newspapers veryclose, or sitting close to the television difficulty moving around unfamiliar places If someone already has either a hearing or vision problem, its important to look out for signs that suggest the other sense may be getting worse too. Read more about the symptoms of deafblindness Seeing your GP Visit your GP if you think your hearing and/or eyesight may be getting worse. If youre worried about a friend or family member, encourage them to speak to their GP. Its best to seek advice as soon as possible, as treatment for some underlying causes of deafblindness can be more effective if started early.Early diagnosis will also ensure the person is able to access local support services sooner. Read more about diagnosing and assessing deafblindness What causes deafblindness? There are many potential causes of deafblindness. Some babies are born deafblind, but in many cases the hearing and/or vision loss occurs later in life. Causes of deafblindness include: age-related hearing loss genetic conditions, such as Usher syndrome an infection picked up during pregnancy, such asrubella (German measles) cerebral palsy  a problem with the brain and nervous system that mainly affects movement and co-ordination eye problems associated with increasing age, such ascataracts Read more about the causes of deafblindness Living with deafblindness A range ofcare and support services is available to help deafblindpeople. Each deafblind person will have a different level of hearing and sight loss, which means theyll have their own individual care needs. The general aims of care for a deafblind person are to: preserve and maximise any remaining sight or hearing the person has  this could involve treating underlying conditions like cataracts, wearing glasses or using ahearing aid teach alternative methods of communication  such as hand on hand signing or braille helpretain ordevelop as much independence as possible  for example, by training the person to use a long cane, a guide dog or offering acommunicator guide Yourlocal authority should arrange an assessment to determine exactly what care and support is needed. Read more about managing deafblindness Signs and symptoms of deafblindness A person whos deafblind wont usually be totally deaf and totally blind, but both senses will be reduced enough to cause difficulties with everyday activities. The hearing and/or vision problems may be present from birth,but in many cases one or both problems develop gradually as a person gets older andtheymay not notice it themselves at first. If someone you know has a combination of the signs mentioned below, its possible they have some degree of deafblindness and should seek medical advice. Signs of a hearing problem Hearing losscan occur from birth ormay develop gradually or suddenly later on. Signsthat someone may havea problem with theirhearinginclude: not hearing you if you speak to them from behind needing to turn up the volume on the television or radio difficulty following a conversation particularly if several people are speaking or the person theyre speaking to is unfamiliar not hearing noises around them, such as aknock at the door or the doorbell ringing asking others to speak loudly, slowly andmore clearly leaning in very close to hear whats being said If someone already has a hearing problem for example, they wear a hearing aid or use sign language keep an eye out for signs of vision problems that could develop (see below). Signs of a visionproblem Vision losscan also be present from birth or develop later on. Signsthat someone may havea problem with their visioninclude: problemsseeing in low light or bright light difficulty recognising people they know finding it hard to read facial expressions relying on touch to find and identify items more than usual needing to hold books or newspapers close to their face, or sitting near the television difficulty moving around unfamiliar places they may bump into or trip over things regularly not looking directly at you or making proper eye contact If a person alreadyhasa problemwith their vision  for example, they wear glasses, use a caneto get around,or havea condition such as glaucoma orcataracts keep an eye out for signs of hearing problems that could develop (see above). Gettingmedical advice Visit your GP if you noticeany deterioration in your hearing or eyesight. If youre worried about a friend or family members vision and hearing, encourage them to speak to their GP. Its best to seek advice as soon as possible, as treatment for some underlying causes of deafblindness can be more effective if started early. Early diagnosis will also ensure the person is able to access local support services sooner, and enable them to plan for the future (such as learning new communication methods). Read more about diagnosing deafblindness and managing deafblindness Causes of deafblindness There are many possible causes of deafblindness. The condition can either be present at birth or develop later in life. Deafblindnessfrom birth Deafblindness from birth is known as congenital deafblindness. It can be caused by: problems associated withpremature birth (birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy) an infection picked up during pregnancy, such asrubella (German measles),toxoplasmosis orcytomegalovirus (CMV) genetic conditions, such as CHARGE syndrome or Downs syndrome cerebral palsya problem with the brain and nervous system that mainly affects movement and co-ordination foetal alcohol syndrome health problems caused by drinking alcohol in pregnancy Deafblindnesslater in life In most cases, deafblindness develops later in life. This is known as acquired deafblindness. A personwith acquired deafblindnessmay beborn without a hearing or sightproblem and then later loses part or all of both senses. Alternatively, someone may be born with either a hearing or vision problem,and then later loses part or all of the other sense later on. Problems that cancontribute toacquired deafblindness include: age-related hearing loss Usher syndrome  a genetic condition that affects hearing, vision and balance eye problems associated withincreasing age, such asage-related macular degeneration (AMD),cataracts andglaucoma diabetic retinopathy a complication of diabetes where the cellslining the back of the eyeare damaged by high blood sugar levels damage to the brain, such as from meningitis , encephalitis, a stroke or severe head injury Sense has further information about the causes of deafblindness . Diagnosing deafblindness Deafblindness may be detected soon after a baby is born, or after tests carried out later in life. Speak to your GP if you have any concerns about your or your childs hearing and/or vision at any point. If youre worried about a family member or friend, try to encourage them to speak to their GP. Newborn screening Ifyour baby is born deafblind, this will usually be picked up during newborn screening . These are a series of checks carried out tosee if your baby has any serious health problems from birth, including any problems with their eyes or hearing. If no problems are picked up at this stage, they may be detected during routine checks as your child gets older. Hearing and vision tests for adults In most cases, deafblindnessdevelops as a person gets older. It can happen gradually, so you may not notice that your vision and/or hearing are getting worse at first. Its therefore important to have routine eye tests to check for any problems. Adults should normally have their eyes tested every two years. You can request a hearing test at your GP surgery at any point if you think you may be losing your hearing. A personmay be diagnosed with deafblindness iftests show they haveboth hearing and vision problems. Theirhearing and vision should continue to be regularly assessedeven after theyve been diagnosed, as the level of care and supportthey need will depend on how severely each sense is affected. Find your local optometry practice Specialist assessment As soon as deafblindness has been identified, a specialist assessment should be arranged bythe local authority. The assessmentshould only be carried out by a specially trained professional whois able to identify the deafblind persons abilities andneeds.The assessment should include assessing theirneeds in relation to: communication one-to-one human contact social interaction emotional wellbeing support with mobility assistive technology rehabilitation The assessment will also takeinto account the persons current needs and those that develop in the future. A deafblind person should have access to services suitable to their level of hearing and sight and their individual needs. Mainstream services aimed mainly at blind or deaf people may not always be appropriate. Read more about the treatments and services available for deafblind people . Managing deafblindness Its not always possible to treat the underlying causes of deafblindness, but a range of care and support services is available to help people with the condition. Most deafblind people will still have some hearing and/or vision. The level of care and support they need will depend onhow severe their hearing and vision problems are. Individual care plan The individual abilities and needs of a deafblind person should be assessed soon after theyre diagnosed. This will allow a tailored care plan to be drawn up. The care plan will aim to: preserve and maximise any remaining sensory functions the person has teach alternative communication methods such as the deafblind manual alphabet (see below) help the person retain as much independence as possible  for example, by recommending they receive training to use a long cane or guide dog or through the provision of a communicator guide for young children,ensure their educational needs are met Read further information Sense:Benefits and money Sense:Support for disabled children and young people Communication systems As deafblindness can make communicating by speech and writing difficult, alternative forms of communication may be necessary. The main communication systemsused by deafblind people include: clear speech  speaking clearly is one of the most effective and common ways of communicating with deafblind people who have some remaining vision and hearing deafblind manual alphabet a tactile form of communication where words are spelt onto the deafblind persons hand using set positions and movements block alphabet  a simple tactile form of communication where a word is spelt out in capital letters that are drawn onto the deafblind persons palm hands-on signing  an adapted version of British Sign Language (BSL)wherethe deafblind person feels whats being signed by placing their hands on top of the signers hand visual frame signing  an adapted version of BSL wherethe signs are adapted to be signed in a smaller space to match the position and size of a deafblind persons remaining sight braille  a system that usesa series of raised dots to represent letters or groups of letters moon similar to Braille, but uses raised, adapted capital letters that are simpler to feel Read further information: Sense:Ways of communicating Vision aids For somedeafblind people, it may be possible to improve vision using low vision aids, such as glasses, magnifying lenses and task lights. Specially designed items, such as telephones and keyboards, may also help someone who is visually impaired. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has more information about everyday living with vision loss ,including advice about the technology availableto help with everyday tasks. Many libraries stock a selection of large-print books and talking books, where the text is read aloud and recorded onto a CD. The RNIB also offer a talking book subscription service , where books can be ordered and delivered directly to your home for a small annual fee. Read further information: RNIB: Assistive aids and technology Hearing aids and implants Some deafblind people may benefit from wearing ahearing aid. There are various hearing aid styles available to suit different types of hearing loss and personal preference. Hearing aids use microphones to collect the sound from the environment, amplify it and deliver it into the ear canal of the wearer so that it can be processed by the auditory system. An audiologist (hearing specialist) will be able to recommend the most suitable type of aid after testing your hearing. For some people, hearing aids that deliver the sound into the ear canal are not appropriate. In these cases, hearing may be improved using a surgically implanted hearing system, such as a cochlea implant or bone conducting hearing implant. While these still use a microphone to collect the sound initially, they then covert that sound into either an electrical signal or vibration, passing it to the inner or middle ear for processing by the auditory system. Want to know more? Sense:Assistive technology for people with hearing loss RNID: Hearing aids One-to-one support Every deafblind person is entitled to help from aspecially trained one-to-one support worker if they need it. Depending on the persons situation, this may be a: communicator guide someone who works with people who have become deafblind later in life, to offer the support the person needs to live independently interpreter someone who acts as a communication link between the deafblind person and other people, using the deafblind persons preferred method of communication intervenor someone whoworks withchildren and adults who were born deafblind, to help them experience and join in the world around them as much as possible Treating underlyingconditions Some conditions that affect hearing and vision can be treated using medication or surgery. For example: cataractscan often be treated by surgically implanting an artificial lens in the eye glaucomacan often be treated using eye dropsor laser surgery  read more about treating glaucoma diabetic retinopathy can be treated in the early stages using laser surgery Somecauses of temporary hearing loss are also treatable, such as a build-up of earwax or middle ear infections . Source: NHS 24 - Opens in new browser window Last updated: 15 January 2024 How can we improve this page? Help us improve NHS inform Thank You Your feedback has been received Dont include personal information e.g. name, location or any personal health conditions. Email Address e.g. you@example.com Message Maximum of 500 characters Send feedback Add this page to\n            Info For Me Also on NHS inform Hearing loss Other health sites Action on Hearing Loss British Deaf Association Hearing Link Royal National Institute of Blind People Sense NHS inform About NHS inform Editorial policy Contact us Webchat Give feedback about NHS inform Info for Me tool Terms and conditions Privacy and cookies policy Freedom of information (FOI) Accessibility Other languages and formats  2023 NHS 24  v1.1.1.17852