Hearing Loss and Deafness: What You Should Know

Our senses are integral in a variety of important daily tasks. When we are driving, we rely on our eyesight when navigating through obstacles and moving around.

When we can’t really see, we use our sense of touch to navigate, especially if it’s really dark. But other than our sense of hearing, smell, and touch, our sense of hearing is considered one of the most important functions in the body.

When we’re fast asleep, we will usually rely on our sense of sound for security. In most cases, we also rely on our sense of sound when we need to wake up early for work or when we want to be reminded of an important task that we have to do.

The alarm of a clock or a ding of a microwave is just some of the audible cues that can help us. We also use sound to socialize and communicate with people, involving talking, processing information, and putting much of that information to good use.

However, some people don’t have the luxury of hearing. Many individuals that are deaf will have to rely on different senses, such as their eyesight.

Although there are individuals born deaf, there are also individuals who have lost their sense of hearing because of hearing loss.

Recent studies have shown that at least 1 out of 1000 children will be born deaf. However, 60% of children will suffer some form of hearing loss due to loud noises and various factors.

That said, we must discuss deafness, the risks that are associated with hearing loss, and what could be the causes. Here’s what you’ll need to know when it comes to preventing the onset of hearing loss.

The Degrees of Deafness

But before anything else, we’ll first need to define deafness and the varying degrees of it. This is usually defined as the inability to process sound partially or totally.

According to surveys that the World Health Organization is conducting, around 460 million people, or roughly around 5% of the total world’s population, are currently suffering from hearing loss.

But how do you effectively quantify what is “normal” hearing from loud noises that could cause hearing loss? Well, most individuals will have a threshold for their hearing in around 25 decibels.

For both ears, it’s a bit higher than usual. Hearing loss could happen in at least one ear or to both ears altogether. Much of the severity could also vary, with some being more profound and milder than others.

It’s important to note that being challenged in hearing doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is “deaf.” However, many individuals will need to have hearing aids and equipment that can help them hear better.

  1. Mild – Individuals can hear conversations, but it might be difficult to discern whispers.
  2. Moderate – People will have a harder time processing information from normal conversations.
  3. Serious – Most individuals with serious hearing loss will have a hard time discerning loud noises in their vicinity.
  4. Profound and near-total – It’s almost impossible to hear loud noises.

Preventing hearing Loss

Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to address hearing loss. Most of the time, hearing loss is quite prevalent among workers working in industrial and construction industries.

Many heavy-duty pieces of machinery used to flatten the ground, crush rocks, and move a good portion of construction materials will produce a good amount of noise.

While this could be a mild annoyance to residents around the area, these machines can be extremely harmful to construction materials.

Related Posts

There is a variety of protective gear specifically designed to protect the ears of industrial and construction workers. Luckily, you don’t have to look far when it comes to looking for noise-cancelling high-quality ear muffs.

Still, it’s important to check in with professionals if you are exposed to a noisy environment regularly. Hearing loss doesn’t necessarily happen in a snap of a finger; it happens if an individual is exposed to loud noises in the long term.

Most of us want to enjoy loud music or have a good time in concerts and activities that involve a lot of loud noises, but exposing ourselves to many of these activities can result in permanent hearing damage.

To effectively communicate with others and process information properly, we’ll need to ensure that our ear health and hearing are intact.

There are various types of deafness, and the severity can vary. Fortunately, recent advancements in technology have made it possible for us to treat hearing loss. Like any other health complication, it’s best to consult with a medical professional if it becomes too severe.

Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MUST READ