Hearing Loss

Each year, the Sight and Hearing Association, along with researchers from the University of Minnesota, tests toys and puts out a list of the top ten noisiest toys to help parents combat hearing loss in children.

Diet and good health have been studied for years. However, recent findings associate diet with something new – your ability to hear.

53% of respondents believe that they or their spouse has a hearing loss, yet only a quarter have consulted an audiologist, according to a poll fielded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) at the 2010 AARP Life@50+ Convention.

The House Ear Institute (HEI) returned for its 13th year at the AES Convention to provide hearing conservation education and free hearing screening tests to thousands of Audio Engineering Society (AES) members.

While a commonly held misconception is that hearing loss impacts only older people, that is not the case. Government data shows that approximately 5.2 million children ages 6 to 19 already have permanent hearing damage.

Hearing loss for many is just a part of the aging process. Like our vision, our hearing often deteriorates or wears down as we move into our golden years. So does everyone get hearing loss due to age?

When ear infections are left untreated, complications can include hearing loss, speech problems and more severe infections that can cause meningitis. An unfortunately, not all kids have the same access to medical specialists and medicines.

Diagnosing a hearing loss in someone suffering with Alzheimer's can be a huge relief. Hearing loss decreases the Alzheimer patient's ability to communicate, and when hearing is restored, their quality of life improves.

Approximately 13 million American women suffer from untreated hearing loss and are at a greater risk of depression and other emotional and psychological problems, as well as diminished safety and earning power.

Newborns with permanent hearing impairment that received a hearing screening test had better language development and quality of life at ages 3 to 5 years compared to newborns who received hearing screening through behavioral testing.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately 30 million Americans are occupationally exposed to harmful noise at work. And now a just-released study shows that high-level noise in a workplace endangers not only the hearing, but also the heart.

The noise levels in many restaurants reach the threshold of pain, creating a din that can reach sound pressure levels produced by a jet engine. Restaurant owners are looking for ways to keep diners coming in while they keep background sounds down in the comfort zone.

A recent study found that smokers were more likely to experience hearing loss, even after adjusting for age, lifestyle factors, geography, socio-economic factors and other calculations to level the playing field and preclude other causes of hearing loss.

The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) launched its position paper on Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) as part of a national campaign to improve early identification of hearing loss in children.

At the 129th AES Convention, House Ear Institute is returning for its 13th year to provide hearing conservation education and hearing screenings to thousands of Audio Engineering Society (AES) members and a comprehensive hearing health outreach program.

A recent study has shown that the presence of chemical contaminants can interact with noise and modify the way in which work-related "deafness" – which is increasingly common among young people – manifests itself.

A new British survey found that in marriages where one spouse has an untreated hearing loss, the other partner suffers as well. In fact, some of the respondents with hearing loss said that their partner had threatened to leave unless the hearing loss is treated.

A patient suffered from vertigo and severe hearing loss after a cotton swab perforated her eardrum and damaged her inner ear. Henry Ford Hospital successfully alleviated her vertigo and restored her hearing – an extremely rare occurrence.

New research indicates that older people who suffer from moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) may require screening and treatment for hearing loss. The study revealed that over 50 percent of CKD patients had some degree of hearing loss and nearly 30 percent had severe hearing loss.

Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States. Take this October, National Protect Your Hearing Month, to make a difference in the lives of those around you. Get out in your community and get talking!

The Ida Institute has created a video and educational cartoon card targeted at young people listening to loud music. The project hopes to increase awareness among teens that loud music can lead to permanent hearing loss and encourages them to turn the volume down.

New research shows that fewer than 20 percent of teenagers in the United States have a hearing loss as a result of exposure to loud sounds, thus offering a different analysis of data reported earlier this year.

CASLPA members provide early hearing screening and communication development programs focus on providing intervention, by six months of age, in order to maximize the development of language and literacy skills during the critical period of birth to 2 years.

As the child grows and enters school, undetected hearing loss contributes to longer learning curves. At times, children may be misdiagnosed with cognitive learning delay caused by some other underlying factor other than simple, addressable hearing loss.

Noise is the most widespread form of pollution we have and noise affects the entire body including blood pressure, drug side effects, heartbeat, breathing, digestion and more.