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Facts About Hearing Loss
Approximately 36 million Americans suffer from hearing loss. More than half of the people with hearing loss are younger than age 65. Untreated hearing loss can affect your ability to understand speech and can negatively impact your social and emotional well-being—hearing impairment can decrease your quality of life! Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States.
If you think you may have a hearing loss, visit www.audiology.org and click on the “Find an Audiologist” link to locate and set up an appointment with an audiologist in your area to get your hearing checked.
Facts About Hearing Loss in Children
Approximately 12% of all children ages 6-19 have noise-induced hearing loss! Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent and is almost always preventable! Hearing loss can happen at any age. A growing number of teens and kids are damaging their hearing by prolonged exposure to loud noise. Noise-induced hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells that are found in our inner ear. Hair cells are small sensory cells that convert the sounds we hear (sound energy) into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Once damaged our hair cells cannot grow back, causing permanent hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss can be caused by prolonged exposure to any loud noise over 85 (dB). The loudness of sound is measured in units called decibels (dB).
Decibels Type of Sound
60 dB Normal conversations or dishwashers
80 dB Alarm clocks
90 dB Hair Dryers, blenders, and lawnmowers
100 dB MP3 players at full volume
110 dB Concerts (any music genre), car racing, and sporting events
120dB Jet planes at take off
130 dB Ambulances
140 dB Gun shots, fireworks, and custom car stereos at full volume
How to protect your child’s hearing:
• Wear the proper hearing protection (earmuffs or earplugs) when in noisy environments (concerts, sporting events, fireworks displays, car races). Hearing protection come in a variety of sizes and textures to provide optimum fit. Custom-made earplugs can be obtained from an audiologist.
• Turn down the volume. (Visit www.TurnItToTheLeft.com )
• Walk away from loud noise.
Childhood noise risks include:
Noisy toys, Sporting events, Band class, Motorbikes, Farm equipment, Movie theaters, Shop class
Arcades, Concerts, Firearms, Firecrackers & fireworks, Power tools, MP3 players
If you think your child may have a hearing loss, visit www.audiology.org and click on the “Find an Audiologist” link to locate and set up an appointment with an audiologist in your area to get your child’s hearing checked
There are four major ways in which hearing loss affects children:
1. It causes delay in the development of receptive and expressive communication skills (speech and language).
2. The language deficit causes learning problems that result in reduced academic achievement.
3. Communication difficulties often lead to social isolation & poor self-concept.
4. It may have an impact on vocational choices.
(American Speech & Hearing Association)
HOW LOUD IS TOO LOUD?
Protect Your Ears! Know which noises can cause damage. Wear ear plugs when you are involved in a loud activity.
110 Decibels (db):Regular exposure of more than 1 minute risks permanent hearing loss.
100 Decibels (db):No more than 15 minutes of unprotected exposure recommended.
85 Decibels (db): Prolonged exposure to any noise at or above 85 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss.
Decibel Level Some Examples:
150db Firecracker 120db Ambulance siren 110db Chain saw, Rock concert
105db Personal stereo system at maximum level 100db Wood shop, Snowmobile
95db Motorcycle 90db Power mower 85db Heavy city traffic
60db Normal conversation 40db Refrigerator humming 30db Whispered voice
NOISE INDUCED HEARING LOSS
Every day, we experience sound in our environment, such as the sounds from television and radio, household appliances, and traffic. Normally, we hear these sounds at safe levels that do not affect our hearing. However, when we are exposed to harmful noise—sounds that are too loud or loud sounds that last a long time—sensitive structures in our inner ear can be damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). These sensitive structures, calledhair cells, are small sensory cells in the inner ear that convert sound energy into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Once damaged, our hair cells cannot grow back.
Scientists once believed that the pure force of vibrations from loud sounds caused the damage to hair cells. Instead, recent studies have shown that exposure to harmful noise triggers the formation of molecules inside the ear that can damage or kill hair cells.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss is 100 percent preventable! All individuals should understand the hazards of noise and how to practice good hearing health in everyday life. To protect your hearing:
-Know which noises can cause damage (those at or above 85 decibels).
-Wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices when involved in a loud activity (special earplugs and earmuffs are available at hardware and sporting goods stores).
-Be alert to hazardous noise in the environment.
-Protect the ears of children who are too young to protect their own.
-Make family, friends, and colleagues aware of the hazards of noise.
-If you suspect hearing loss, have a medical examination by an otolaryngologist (a physician who specializes in diseases of the ears, nose, throat, head, and neck) and a hearing test by an audiologist (a health professional trained to measure and help individuals deal with hearing loss).
(The above information is provided by the WISE EARS!® Campaign & resources from the National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders.)
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Signs You May Have a Hearing Loss. |
What causes hearing loss? |
How to protect your hearing? |
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• Difficulty hearing people talk in noisy environments (a restaurant, shopping mall, in a car, or at the movie theater). • People seem to “mumble” all the time • Family, friends, or colleagues often have to repeat themselves when speaking with you. • You have trouble hearing people when they are not facing you or are in another room. • You have trouble following conversations. • You have ringing, buzzing, or hissing sounds in your ears. |
Exposure to excessive loud noise. • Ear infections, trauma, or ear disease. • Harm of the inner ear and ear drum from contact with a foreign object (cotton swabs, fingers, bugs).
• Illness or certain medications.
• Deteriorating hearing due to the normal aging process.
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• Wear hearing protection when around sounds louder than 85dB for a long period of time. There are different types of hearing protection such as foam earplugs, earmuffs and custom hearing protection devices. Contact your local audiologist for custom hearing protection devices. • Turn down the volume when listening to the radio, the TV, MP3 player, or anything through ear buds and headphones. (Visit www.TurnItToTheLeft.com) • Walk away from the noise. • And, other than hearing protection, do not put anything in your ear! |
