The usual line of thinking is that older people are the ones susceptible to hearing loss. That may have been the case 20 to 30 years ago; but things have definitely changed since then. Today, hearing loss in teenagers are quite common. It’s certainly not because of age but more on the lifestyle of young boys and girls. Noise-induced hearing loss is affecting millions of teenagers around the world, and the facts are very alarming.
Here are three facts that you should know about hearing loss in teenagers.
Hearing loss among American teenagers aged between 12 and 19 years old has increased to 19.5 percent from 14.9 percent since 1990. This was the result of a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. So if you’re one of those parents who have to constantly remind your teenage son or daughter about turning down the volume of the TV or speaker, then you should at least have some consolation in the fact that you’re definitely not the only one with that problem.
According to one of the authors of the study, Dr. Josef Shargorodsky of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary of the Harvard Medical School, the most likely culprit is the use of music devices like iPods.
Speaking of iPods, did you know that this device has a set of ear buds that end up in the ears of music listeners? And most of the time, people turn up the music too loud when using ear buds. Any mobile device (and not just iPod) playing music at full volume can emit a sound that is as loud as a chainsaw.
Audiologists say that it only takes around 30 minutes for hearing loss to happen when listening to loud music. But teenagers can listen to loud music much longer than 30 minutes a day. So don’t be surprised why a lot of teenagers have hearing impairment.
Teenagers may dismiss hearing loss as a minor inconvenience, although the truth is that it is a lot more serious than they thought. Aside from affecting their daily lives, hearing loss is associated with other health problems such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Moreover researchers have found a potential link between hearing loss and dementia.
If you think you or your child suffer from a hearing loss and need a hearing aid, make sure that you get a hearing test and assessment from the ENT specialist. For more details of our hearing test & assessment, and hearing aids services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
https://www.hkhearingspeech.com