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 Listen Up!
Hearing Loss Affects All Ages
By Chris V. Horn
Count yourself lucky if you can easily hear a conversation with your dinner companions at a crowded, noisy restaurant. If you can listen to the television without turning up the volume so loud that it blasts other family members out of the room, count yourself lucky again.
Many people – young and old – aren’t so lucky.
The reason is hearing loss. And it’s more common than you might think.
The federal National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) reports that almost half of people over age 75 have hearing loss. And each year, approximately two or three out of every 1,000 babies born in the U.S. have a detectable hearing loss.
Even folks between those two age groups can suffer from loss of hearing. The Better Hearing Institute (BHI), a not-for-profit corporation that educates the public about the problem of hearing loss, states that 10 million Americans have already suffered irreversible hearing damage from exposure to loud noise.
No matter what a person’s age, a loss of hearing can have terrible consequences. Learning can be impaired. Communication can be difficult. Job performance can suffer. Many times, those with significant hearing loss can feel isolated and frustrated, which can lead to depression.
But, hearing loss can be prevented. And if it occurs, devices are available to help restore hearing. Here’s what you need to know in case you or a family member begin to lose the ability to hear.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Adults can give themselves a quick test to see if they’re losing their hearing. These questions were adapted from NIDCD.
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- Do you have trouble following a conversation when two or more people are talking at the same time?
- Do people complain that you turn the TV, radio or stereo volume too high?
- Do you have to strain to understand conversations?
- Do you have trouble hearing when there’s a lot of noise in the background?
- Do you find yourself asking others to repeat themselves?
- Do many people seem to mumble or not speak clearly?
- Do you misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
- Do you have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
- Do people get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say?
If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, talk to your doctor about getting a hearing evaluation. You might want your doctor to refer you to an audiologist, a professional who can measure your hearing, or an otolaryngologist, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the ear, nose and throat.
Treatment for Hearing Loss
It’s important that hearing loss in newborns be detected early. Results from NIDCD-funded research show that if children with hearing loss are identified by six months of age and receive help early, they can make bigger strides in developing language skills than children whose hearing loss is identified later.
Treatment for hearing loss in children may include hearing aids or cochlear implants. The implants are small electronic devices that can provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing.
While cochlear implants make up for damaged or non-working parts of the inner ear, hearing aids amplify sound.
The NIDCD reports that only one out of five people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one, and although the electronic devices are helpful, they don’t restore normal hearing or eliminate background noise.
Still, hearing aids can be effective for certain types of hearing loss. The two main types of hearing aids are digital and analog.
Analog aids convert sound waves into electrical signals, which are amplified. These aids are custom-built for each user according to the specifications recommended by your audiologist.
Digital hearing aids convert sound waves into numerical codes before amplifying them. The aid can be programmed to amplify some frequencies more than others and to focus on sounds coming from a specific direction. Digital aids can also be adjusted to certain listening environments. In general, digital hearing aids are more expensive than analog aids.
An audiologist can help you determine which type of hearing aid best meets your needs and your lifestyle.
Hearing Loss Prevention
Noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss, states BHI, and one of the most common occupational illnesses in the U.S. BHI reports that 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day.
People often underestimate the effects of noise on hearing because the damage takes place gradually.
So, how loud is too loud?
If you have to raise your voice to shout over the noise to be heard by someone within an arm’s length away, the noise is probably in the dangerous range. Prolonged exposure to any noise above 85 decibels can damage your hearing.
Hand drills and power lawn mowers produce noise in the range of 90 to 98 decibels. Chain saw noise runs about 105 decibels and iPods can play music as loud as 130 decibels.
You and your family members can take a few steps to reduce the noise in your lives and protect your hearing. Here are some suggestions from BHI:
- If you work in an at-risk occupation, check with your employer to make sure you have adequately protected your hearing.
- Limit exposure time to noisy activities.
- Wear hearing protection, such as foam or silicone plugs or muffs. Foam plugs are available at your pharmacy. Muffs and specialized ear protection can be purchased at sporting good stores or safety equipment stores.
- At home, turn down the volume on the television, radio, stereos and MP3 players.
- Wear ear plugs or muffs when using loud equipment such as lawn mowers, power saws and leaf blowers.
Finally, give your ears a break. Learn to enjoy some quieter activities.
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