The recognition of five basic human senses — vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste — is often traced back to 350 B.C. when Aristotle wrote "De Anima." The senses intrigued him because they're what fuel our interaction with the outside world and with our inner voices, with external objects and the tender sensation of compassion (that healing touch).

It's little wonder that if you neglect your hearing and visual health — allowing yourself to disconnect from the information your senses transmit — you increase your risk for cognitive decline.

That's the conclusion of two studies. One, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at 3,000 adults with cataracts and found that people who underwent cataract surgery had nearly 30% lower risk of developing dementia from any cause than those who didn't have cataract surgery.

Your brain wants, and needs, the stimulation that comes with good vision.

Another study out of Johns Hopkins Medicine followed 639 adults for almost 12 years and discovered that mild hearing loss doubled a person's risk of dementia, while moderate loss tripled the risk, and severe hearing impairment meant a person was five times more likely to develop dementia than someone with normal hearing.

Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure and rarely risky. So schedule an eye exam if you haven't seen an eye doctor in the past year, especially if you are age 55 or older.

And make an appointment with an audiologist if you find that you strain to hear clearly. You can do a preliminary hearing evaluation online through United Healthcare at www.uhchearing.com/test.