Globally, 360 million people experience disabling hearing loss, and as the world’s population ages, this figure will only increase. In reality, about one-third of seniors 65 and older have significantly decreased hearing, but half of all disorders linked to hearing loss can be prevented with early detection.
Today’s article provides some much-needed clarity on this subject by outlining the primary causes and available treatments for hearing loss in India. It also looks at prevention strategies and whether health insurance policies normally cover the associated costs.
Define Hearing Loss.
Hearing loss, often known as hearing impairment, is a lessened capacity for hearing. A person with hearing loss may only be able to pick up a few noises or maybe nothing at all. This disease is also sometimes referred to as being “deaf,” “deafness,” or “hard of hearing.” One of the main effects of hearing loss is a reduction in verbal communication skills.
Primary Causes For Hearing Loss
Age and noise are the two most frequent causes of hearing loss, while there are many other factors as well.
Noise
Our hearing can be harmed by prolonged and frequent exposure to loud noise. Loud noise sources can take many different shapes, ranging from the sound of loud machinery at work to the deafening volume of music at concerts and nightclubs.
Aging
Age-related hearing loss is a common side effect of aging. Our hearing usually deteriorates in our 30s and 40s due to sensory cell degradation. Additionally, more than half of us will have considerable hearing loss by the time we are 80 years old or older.
Other factors
Of course, there are a lot of other things that can harm one’s hearing. These consist of:-
- Foreign objects or wax obstructing the ear canal (this can typically be treated fairly easily)
- A head or ear injury
- Taking certain drugs, such as antibiotics can harm your ears.
- Collection of fluid in the ear
- Chronic ear infections
- Infectious diseases (e.g. measles) can also lead to impaired hearing – many of these diseases can, however, be prevented via routine vaccinations early on in childhood
- Infections during pregnancy
- Lack of oxygen at the time of birth
And more
- fluid buildup inside the ear
- persistent ear infections
- Hearing loss can result from infectious diseases like measles, but many of these illnesses can be avoided by getting annual immunizations as a child.
- pregnancy-related infections
- oxygen deficiency at birth
Prevention of hearing loss
- Although hearing loss cannot always be avoided, there are steps we can take to lessen the amount of loud noise we are exposed to. For instance, attention needs to be paid to:
- Reduce loud noise: The most crucial thing you can do to prevent hearing loss is to simply limit your exposure to loud noise.
- Try not to blast music through earphones or headphones: When listening to music, avoid turning the volume up to more than 60 percent of the maximum volume.
- Protect your ears at loud events: When you’re at a concert, gig, or another loud event, try to walk away from loudspeakers, and consider wearing earplugs if possible.
Treatment
- Hearing loss can be managed, but it cannot be recovered. The most crucial element in lessening its impact before hearing loss increases is early detection and prevention (i.e., via routine screenings), which can benefit the majority of those who suffer from this ailment.
- Hearing aids, which transmit amplified sounds from the eardrum and middle ear to the inner ear/cochlea, are typically used to treat hearing loss in people.
- Cochlear implants, also known as electronic devices that are surgically put into individuals with moderate to profoundly impaired hearing with the aim of restoring their damaged inner ear’s function, can also alleviate hearing loss depending on the condition.
Also, you may need to visit one of the professional audiologists at our Elite Hearing Clinic to get the best treatment for all of your hearing aids.