Astonishing Hearing Loss Facts and Data

Do you have a family member or friend that needs a hearing aid (or at least a hearing test) but won’t go along with your suggestions? Chatting about some of the statistics related to the prevalence, causes and effects of hearing loss may finally get them to make that initial appointment. These facts and stats could help you persuade someone you care about that it is time to schedule a hearing evaluation:

  • The number of Americans with hearing loss has doubled in the last 3 decades.
  • More men than women experience hearing loss.
  • Approximately 36 million people in the United States have some sort of hearing loss, which is almost one out of every five people.
  • Roughly 13% of the population over age 65 will experience tinnitus – ringing in the ears.
  • Many more people could benefit from a hearing aid than in fact wear one. Some estimates say there are 4 additional people who could benefit, for every 1 actually using a hearing aid.
  • Ten million people have permanent loss of hearing due to noise, and 30 million more are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day.
  • Close to 13,000 adults and 10,000 children in the US have cochlear implants.
  • Research studies have indicated that those with hearing loss experience it as mild in 65% of cases, moderate in 30% of cases and severe in 5% of cases.
  • High frequency hearing loss caused by recurring loud noise exposure affects about 26 million people in the US (ages 20-69). This includes regular noise exposure from both work and leisure sources.
  • People with hearing loss wait close to a decade before doing anything about it. Don’t let this be you or someone you love!

Why Can I Hear Male Voices Clearly but not Women’s Voices?

For anyone who is finding it tougher to hear ladies voices or children’s voices than to hear male voices, it may be a sign that you have suffered some degree of high-frequency hearing loss. Children’s and women’s voices have a higher frequency than men’s voices – 165 to 255 Hertz, as opposed to 85 to 180 Hertz for men. On top of that, the volume of women’s and children’s voice are often less audible because they speak more quietly that men. Although you may suspect that you have suffered a high-frequency hearing loss because you are having trouble hearing these voices, the only way to know for certain is to make an appointment for an exam.

If it turns out to be high-frequency hearing loss, you’re not alone; this is the most common form of hearing loss. High-frequency hearing loss can have many causes: genetics, aging, noise-induced hearing loss (exposure to loud sounds), certain diseases, and certain drugs. The good news is that high-frequency hearing loss can generally be counteracted with technology.

One effective option involves the fitting of digital hearing aids, whose sophisticated electronics can be programmed to respond differently to sounds at different frequencies. For a person suffering from high-frequency hearing loss, for example, a technician could program the digital hearing aid to raise the volume of high-pitched sounds, while not raising the volume of low-pitched sounds as much. Another treatment option is the use of open-fit hearing aids, which leave your ear canal open or partially open, so that low-frequency and mid-frequency sounds enter the ear normally, and only the high-frequency sounds are amplified. A third option for very severe cases of high-frequency hearing loss is a cochlear implant. Because they require minor surgery, cochlear implants are a more serious and more expensive option, but they can provide a solution in extreme cases involving industrial deafness or nerve deafness.

But the first step to finding a solution to your hearing problem is to have an examination, and allow our specialists to determine what the nature of it actually is. In some cases, for example, high-frequency hearing loss has been caused by nothing more than a buildup of ear wax, which can be cleared up without the need for any type of hearing aid. So the best “first step” in dealing with your hearing problem is to make an appointment and allow us to determine the real nature of the problem.

Social Widgets powered by AB-WebLog.com.