Study finds early vision loss makes judging sounds difficult

According to new research, those who have partial vision loss in early childhood have a more difficult time precisely judging the location of sounds than those who lose their sight later.


The study, conducted by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in partnership with the University of East Anglia (UEA), appeared in the journal Optometry and Vision Sciences. The study is the first to evaluate how patients with early (before the age of 10) and late-onset vision loss assess the distance of sound.

The study included 52 people aged under 33. Each participant completed 480 trials, measuring the distance of sounds released from 1.2m to 13.8m away. The noises alternated between voice, music, and noise.

Estimations differed more between those with early and late onset vision loss, as well as a completely sighted control group, at closer distances. People with early-onset vision loss perceived sounds from closer distances, up to five metres, as coming from a greater distance.

Distance judgments showed no significant difference between the control group and those with late-onset visual loss.

Lead author Professor Shahina Pardhan, Director of ARU’s Vision and Eye Research Institute, stated, “These results suggest that people who suffer vision loss at birth or in early childhood are more likely to struggle to accurately judge the distance of close-range sounds.”

“This is the first study of its kind and is important when assessing the healthcare needs of people who suffered partial vision loss early in life, such as at birth or in childhood, who tend to be reliant on their other sensory abilities,” Pardhan told reporters. “Clearly a difficulty in judging short and medium distance sounds could have safety implications, for example when attempting to cross the road.”

Academics from the University of Cambridge and the Chennai-based Sankara Nethralaya Eye Hospital collaborated on the study.

According to co-author Dr. Andrew Kolarik of UEA’s School of Psychology and ARU’s Vision and Eye Research Institute, “Many studies have shown that fully blind people display measurable changes in their hearing abilities, showing either better or worse performance compared to sighted people depending on the hearing task they are given.”

“This study shows that even partial vision losses can lead to changes in hearing abilities, especially if vision is lost early on in life,” Kolarik says.