On March 3, Celebrate World Hearing Day by Checking Your Hearing

“Check Your Hearing” is the theme of March 3’s World Hearing Day this year. Every year the World Health Organization picks a theme for World Hearing Day. The human and economic costs of untreated hearing loss take an enormous global toll each year. Early identification  and treatment are very important to a person’s overall health, both physical and emotional. Celebrate World Hearing Day this year and call Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services for a hearing exam. Call any one of our convenient five locations to set up a painless, private and very necessary hearing evaluation

Hearing Loss is a Global Issue

According to the latest surveys, 466 million people throughout the world have disabling hearing issues. That’s a little over one-sixth of the world’s population. Of that number, about 93% or 422 million are adults, with more men than women reporting hearing issues.  Nearly 34 million or about 7% are children. About one third of those affected are over the age of 65, and those statistics are growing since people everywhere are living longer. It is important to take care of your hearing, so you continue to have all your valuable senses as you age.

Unless there is proper prevention of hearing loss, WHO estimates the number of people with disabling hearing loss could be over 900 million by the year 2050. Worldwide, hearing loss is the fourth highest cause of disability.

Hearing loss risk factors

Exposure to loud noise, either at work of in recreational settings, chronic ear infections and prolonged use of some prescription medications are some of the risk factors for hearing loss. We do add a word of caution here – if you think your medications might be contributing to your hearing loss – do not stop taking them. Be sure to discuss the issue with your doctor!

In terms of workplace risk, unsafe noise exposure is the second most common risk, behind workplace injury. About 22% of those employed have health issues related to noise. Countries across the globe are addressing the noise issues with regulations. In the U.S., workplace noise is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If you have a ringing in your ears or speech sounds muffled when you get out of work, you are likely experiencing workplace noise issues. Although both of those issues may clear up, it is just because your ears are compensating for the damage. Eventually, they won’t be able to anymore and the issues will become permanent.

Children and noise

In 2015, WHO estimated that more than one billion young people are at risk of developing hearing loss due to poor listening habits. That issue was of such concern, it was WHO’s World Hearing Day theme last year. Everyone, especially children, should practice safe listening. For adults, that means not cranking up the volume on personal listening devices when you are working out or running. Sure, the music may give you a little adrenaline boost, but its not worth it if you damage your hearing.

Parents need to educate their children about ears and sound processing. Once ears are damaged, the hearing loss will be permanent, so care needs to be taken with how loud they listen to music and how long they listen. Some personal listening devices have parental control volume settings so you can control and monitor how loud the device is. There are apps you can download on a phone to show sound levels, which can be a fun education opportunity to teach your kids about decibels and their sound intake.

WHO estimates that failing to address hearing loss carries an overall global cost each year of about $750 billion. WHO recommends screening for early identification of hearing loss and then rehabilitation through hearing devices.

Check Your Hearing with Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services

On World Hearing Day, you can set a great example for your friends and family by Checking Your Hearing. Call an Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services location today and schedule an appointment. Adults are likely to wait three to five years before they address their hearing loss even after they’ve been diagnosed. Don’t be that adult, stay on the proper path to better hearing and schedule a hearing test! We look forward to working with you on improving your hearing health.