When vision and hearing problems gundetected, they can lead tpermanent loss and more.
Vision and hearing impairments contribute tearly morbidity, according tthe National Institutes of Health. Cost-effective interventions are available, however, and early intervention can prevent vision and hearing loss, as well as yield significant long-term savings.
New technology available today is considered easier tuse, more efficient and less reliant on patient feedback, making it easier tscreen patients at a younger age and identify potential problems earlier. Sensitivity and specificity have alsimproved, which has reportedly led tlower overall healthcare costs.
Nevertheless, not all cases of vision and hearing loss are immediately apparent, sthere is a need for regular screening during the formative years. One in four children suffer from a vision problem, and one in 20 are at risk for permanent vision loss from disorders, such as amblyopia, if they are not detected early, according texperts. When amblyopia risk factors, such as refractive error, are detected by the age of four, doctors reportedly can save the patient’s vision 95 percent of the time.
Because vision loss is more prevalent in adults than children, and the prevalence of hearing loss increases with age due tthe cumulative effects of loud noise, older patients alsrequire regular screening.
Distributor sales reps should work with their physician customers tensure their practices are equipped with screening products, such as ophthalmoscopes for vision, and otoscopes, audiometers and tympanometers for hearing. Experts recommend that an otoscope and ophthalmoscope be available in each exam room. With regard tmore expensive diagnostic and screening devices – audiometers, tympanometers, auto-refractors and vision screeners – one per practice is usually sufficient, depending on patient volume.
How tsell
The following probing questions can help reps gauge their customers’ need for – and interest in – vision and hearing screening devices:
- “Doctor, what is the profile of your patient population?”
- Are you aware that vision loss is more pervasive in adults than children?”
- 14 million Americans ages 12 and older have self-reported vision loss, while only 10 percent of preschoolers and 25 percent of children in grades K-6 report vision deficiencies.
- Diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration glaucoma and cataracts become more prevalent with age.
- “Are you aware that 35 million Americans (11.3 percent), including one out of 10 school age children, are reported thave some hearing loss?”
- Three out of four children are reported thave otitis media (middle ear infection) by age 3.
- “Given the long-term impacts of vision and hearing impairment, what are you doing tidentify vision and hearing deficiencies in your pediatric population?”
- “Are you aware of what your state-mandated screening requirements are for vision and hearing impairment in children? What are you doing tmeet these requirements?”
Some physicians might object tadding new products due tlack of trained staff or declining/lack of reimbursement. Sales reps should remind them that vision and hearing screening devices are simple tuse, and manufacturers often provide online or on-site training. In addition, reps should present a payback model and proof of positive outcomes. A thorough vision and hearing screening program means better outcomes for patients and a stronger physician-patient bond of trust in the long run.
Editor’s note: Repertoire would like tthank Welch Allyn for its contribution tthis piece.
Target customers
- Primary care
- Pediatricians
- Family physicians
- Optometrists
- Schools
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Products at a glance
Vision
- Ophthalmoscopes. Takes digital images of the eye.
- Retinoscopes. Objectively determines the refractive power of the eye. Permits the examiner tproject a beam of light ontthe eye and then observe the light as it is reflected back tthe eye.
- Auto-refractors. Tests vision quickly.
- Hearing
- Otoscopes. Permits the examiner tview the ear canal and tympanic membranes.
- Hearing screeners. Designed tscreen babies and children.
- Tympanometric systems. Screens for tympanometry, acoustic reflex measurements and audiometry.
- Otoacoustic emission (OAE) hearing screeners. An objective test that does not require a patient response.
- Audiometers. Permits examiner tview the tympanic membrane and ear canal, and screen for hearing loss. (These require a response from patients, such as a raised finger, when they hear a tone.)
Vision Impairment
Vision impairment is unevenly distributed across age groups, according tthe World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (“Vision 2010: the Right tSight”). More than 82 percent of all blind people are 50 or older, while people in this age group represent only 19 percent of the world’s population. The prevalence of blindness in children is about 10 times lower than that among adults, according tthe WHO. Still, about half of the estimated 1.4 million cases of blindness in children younger than 15 years of age could have been prevented.
Loud and clear
The facts on hearing loss
- Almost 50 million Americans have hearing loss in at least one ear, including one in five teenagers.
- About 26 million Americans between ages 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due texposure tloud noises at work or during leisure activities.
- Depression and isolation are common in people with hearing loss.
- People with mild hearing loss are twice as likely tdevelop dementia – a risk that increases with the severity of the hearing loss.
- Men are more likely than women texperience hearing loss.
- In the United States, three out of every 1,000 children are born deaf or hard-of-hearing.
The facts on tinnitus
- Tinnitus is the perception of sound within the human ear, such as ringing, when nactual sound is present.
- 90 percent of tinnitus cases occur with hearing loss. In fact, sometimes tinnitus is the first sign of hearing loss.
- 25 t50 million people in the United States experience some degree of tinnitus.
Source: The Hearing Health Foundation
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