Hearing impairment
Are you exposed to loud noise?
A common cause of hearing loss is "acoustic trauma" or damage to the inner structure of the ear, caused by loud noises.
Prolonged exposure to loud noises can cause the cells inside the spiral part of the cochlea to become inflamed.
Could you suffer from hearing loss?
The loudness of the noise and the length of time that you are exposed to it are important factors.
People who are at risk from acoustic trauma include:
- those who work with noisy equipment, such as pneumatic drills or compressed-air hammers
- those who work in environments where there is loud music, such as nightclub staff
- those who listen to music at a high volume through headphones
475 million people are predicted to lose their hearing over the 20 year period from 1995 to 2025.
The good news is that sophisticated hearing protection devices, such as the SonoCustom, have now been developed to provide hearing protection and these are affordable and accessible to everyone.
