**Your senses change with age because the tissues that detect light, sound, smells, tastes, and touch become less sensitive or work differently.**
Your eye lenses become less flexible, making close reading harder, while damage to inner ear hair cells reduces hearing. Changes in taste buds, smell receptors, and nerve function can affect flavor and touch. The pace varies with your genes, noise exposure, medicines, and conditions such as diabetes. Hearing protection, better lighting, and appropriate glasses or hearing aids help you manage these changes.
How to adapt to changing senses
Common questions
Why does Aging changes in the senses happen?
Aging changes your senses as sensory tissues and nerves change over time. Your eye lenses stiffen, inner ear hair cells become damaged, and taste and smell receptors become less sensitive. Changes in nerve function can also reduce your awareness of touch and temperature. Noise exposure, smoking, medicines, and conditions such as diabetes can add to these effects. Ask a clinician about new changes because causes such as earwax or medicine side effects may be treatable. Seek immediate medical care for sudden hearing or vision loss.