Discuss changes in sensory functioning in the late adulthood phase of life.

Answers will vary. Beginning in middle age, the lenses of the eyes become stiffer, leading to presbyopia, as discussed in Chapter 15. Chemical changes of aging can lead to vision disorders such as cataracts and glaucoma. Cataracts cloud the lenses of the eyes, reducing vision. Today, outpatient surgery for correcting cataracts is routine. If performed before the condition progresses too far, the outcome for regained sight is excellent. Glaucoma is a buildup of fluid pressure inside the eyeball. Glaucoma can lead to tunnel vision (lack of peripheral vision) or blindness. Glaucoma rarely occurs before age 40, and affects about 1 in 250 people over the age of 40, and 1 in 25 people over 80. Rates are higher among African Americans than European Americans, and among diabetics than nondiabetics. Glaucoma is treated with medication or surgery. The sense of hearing, especially the ability to hear higher frequencies, also declines with age. Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss that affects about 1 person in 3 over the age of 65. Hearing ability tends to decline more quickly in men than in women. Hearing aids magnify sound and can compensate for hearing loss. Taste and smell become less acute as we age. Our sense of smell decreases almost ninefold from youth to advanced late adulthood. We also lose taste buds in the tongue with aging. As a result, foods must be more strongly spiced to yield the same flavor.