How important is the sense of hearing? Incredibly important, in fact, that without it, a person’s physical and cognitive abilities tend to suffer. Hearing loss or disorder can profoundly affect—in a negative way—one’s communication development such as speech and language; overall learning and comprehension; and social capabilities.
According to the Oklahoma Hearing Center, 48 million people suffer from a certain level of deafness in the United States alone. There is one in every five American who suffers from this health issue. Even so, 15 million of them decide against seeking professional help.
Noise-induced Hearing Loss and More
Many of us tend to shun the idea that, because of certain factors, we all risk losing our sense of hearing. We are not convinced that we are vulnerable to this condition. What can go wrong when we are living in the prime of our life? Experts argue, however, that a devastating truth awaits some of us who display indifference to this possibility.
Sound at harmful decibel levels can be damaging to the ear and can cause noise-induced hearing loss. Did you know that occupational hearing loss—or hearing problems caused by work-related factors—is fairly common in the United States? About 22 million Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of noise at work, and 30 million more deal with chemicals that are ototoxic or harmful to the ears.
Certain recreational activities can cause young, healthy persons to lose their sense of hearing. All over the world, roughly 1.1 billion people between 12 and 35 years old are at risk due to exposure to noise in recreational settings. How often do we hear about kids, adolescents and adults exposing themselves to hazardous levels of noise—in the form of music? These young people attend rock concerts with ear-breaking music volume or listen to loud music on their own while wearing ear phones or ear buds—all oblivious to the fact that they are damaging their ears.
Aside from the external causes of hearing loss, this condition may also because of genetic causes or birth complications. Chronic ear infections, infectious ear diseases, as well as the use of certain drugs can cause hearing loss as well.
But There Are Hearing Loss Remedies Now, Right?
While most people think hearing loss is easy to manage and cure, the truth of the matter is that there are certain factors that make complete deafness treatment possible or otherwise. A type of deafness, called conductive hearing loss affects the mechanism through which sound is transmitted within the ear and can be remedied by a hearing aid. The other type, which is called sensorineural hearing loss, indicates nerve or organ damage, which may or may not be corrected by a hearing aid but can do well with therapies, medical implants and medical management.
Whether or you or your loved ones were born with hearing problems or acquired them, it is best not to second-guess your condition. A baby, a young person or an elderly are prone to hearing loss due to these factors. As such, it is imperative to seek professional opinion and help to manage and treat this health problem.
