Deafblindness
There are many possible causes of deafblindness. The condition can either be present at birth or develop later in life.
Deafblindness from birth is known as congenital deafblindness.
It can be caused by:
In most cases, deafblindness develops later in life. This is known as acquired deafblindness.
A personwith acquired deafblindnessmay beborn without a hearing or sightproblem and then later loses part or all of both senses. Alternatively, someone may be born with either a hearing or vision problem,and then later loses part or all of the other sense later on.
Problems that cancontribute toacquired deafblindness include:
Read about deafblindness, a condition in which a person has a combination of sight and hearing difficulties that affect their everyday activities.
Find out about the signs that could suggest someone is deafblind, or that they may be gradually losing their sight or hearing.
Read about the main causes of deafblindness, including problems that can be present from birth and those that can develop later on.
Read about how deafblindness is diagnosed, including about the specialist assessment that should be carried out to determine the type of care a deafblind person needs.
Read about the treatment and support available for deafblind people, including alternative communication methods and vision aids.