Subjective visual (but not auditory) function is associated with anomalous perceptual experiences in...

With an increasingly ageing population, understanding sensory impairments and their consequences in older adults is important.

The current study sought to examine the contemporaneous relationships between subjective sensory functioning (vision and hearing) and different types of anomalous perceptions (anomalous body-centred self-experiences and anomalous external experiences) in community-dwelling older adults (N = 244, M_age = 71.86 ± 7.65, range = 52-91, 67.6% female) using structural equation modelling.

Poorer self-reported visual functioning was associated both with more anomalous body-centred self-experiences and more anomalous external experiences. However, no associations between self-reported hearing function and anomalous perceptions of any kind were found. Further, those reporting higher levels of loneliness self-reported poorer visual functioning and more anomalous body-centred self-experiences. The potential mediating role of loneliness was also explored. However, the relationship between self-reported visual function and anomalous perceptual experiences was not mediated by loneliness.

The current cross-sectional findings suggest that poorer self-reported visual-but not hearing-function may be a risk factor for the experience of anomalous perceptions in older adults. Future research should examine these associations using objective measures of hearing and vision and longitudinal designs.