Hearing loss is likely far more common than you realize, and is something that can happen to people of all ages. As a matter of fact, very nearly one fifth of all children of a school age are dealing with some level of hearing loss. In addition to this, up to three children for every 1,000 born will have detectable hearing loss at least in one ear, if not in both, at the time of their birth. In such infants, this hearing loss is usually caught during the routine screenings that take place in the days following their birth but in other children, the hearing loss won’t become apparent until much later on.
Hearing loss sometimes develops in later life, as a result of exposure to loud noises that led to damage over the course of time. For this reason and because of any number of diseases and genetic causes, a great number of people have experienced hearing loss all throughout the world. At the current date, the number of people with a detectable level of hearing loss sits in the millions. By the time that we reach the year of 2025, now just over five full years in our future, up to 900 million people will be living with some level of hearing impairment throughout the world. Here in the United States alone, a full one fifth of the population deals with hearing loss on a daily basis.
As briefly mentioned above, hearing loss becomes particularly prominent with old age. For one thing, elderly people have lived a full life and have been exposed to many things. Going to loud concerts or working in a field with loud noises constantly present has often paved the way for hearing loss in their later years. Therefore, by the time that someone reaches the age of 65, they have a one third chance of having some level of hearing loss. For some elderly people, this hearing loss is minor but for others it is much more significant and severe indeed.
Fortunately, hearing loss can be treated in all populations, from the very young to the elderly. The hearing aid device, for instance, is widely common. It is this hearing aid device that is most widely used as well, though it must be noted that not every hearing aid device is the same.
After all, a hearing aid device must be able to fit securely in the ear in order to work well, and therefore, every hearing aid device must be custom made for the user. A small hearing aid device will be ideal for children who are dealing with hearing loss, and more and more people are becoming interested in what is known as the invisible hearing aid device. Of course, in order to get a hearing aid device one must first go to a hearing clinic and have a hearing test performed to better assess the extent of the hearing loss and the best course of treatment for it.
In many schools, a pediatric hearing test is being performed on all of the students on a relatively regular basis – at least once if not a couple of times throughout the school year. This can help to detect hearing loss in students who otherwise might have continued to go undiagnosed for quite some time. After all, it is all too easy to read hearing loss as a lack of attention or an inability to listen. After being diagnosed and treated, many hearing impaired children start to have a much better experience in their school.
Aside from hearing loss, tinnitus is another very real problem involving the ears and hearing. Tinnitus causes a ringing or buzzing noise, one that can be inescapable and deeply difficult to live with. And tinnitus is also, unfortunately, a hugely common condition. In fact, up to 15% of all people in the United States alone have some form of tinnitus, most commonly subjective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus can also be diagnosed, but actually only makes up around 1% of all tinnitus cases seen throughout the country. And while tinnitus can’t be cured, treatments can help to make it much easier to live with.