Audiology - Understanding Hearing Loss
 

You Can Prevent Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. One in three people older than 60 and half of those older than 85 have hearing loss.

If you are not exposed to noise and are otherwise healthy, you’ll maintain your hearing for many years. However, if you are exposed to noise and do not protect your ears, you could begin to lose your hearing at an earlier age. For example, by age 25, the average carpenter has “50-year old” ears! 

Noise is not a new hazard. It has been a constant threat since the industrial revolution. Too much noise exposure may cause a temporary change in hearing (your ears may feel stuffed up) or a temporary ringing in your ears (tinnitus). These short-term problems usually go away within a few minutes or hours after leaving the noise. However, repeated exposure to loud noise can lead to permanent, incurable hearing loss or tinnitus.

Always wear ear protection while shooting
OK, listen up. Firearm safety doesn’t end with proper firearm handling and care. It also includes hearing protection. This means wearing earplugs or earmuffs whenever you shoot a rifle, shotgun, or pistol.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 10 million Americans have already suffered irreversible damage from noise, and 30 million more are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day.

An extreme noise, like the firing of a shotgun experienced at close range, can permanently damage your hearing in an instant. This is known as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Noise-induced hearing loss can result from one-time exposure to a loud sound like gunfire, and it can also be caused by repeated exposure to harmful sounds over an extended period of time. Just ask any hunter over 50 who has not worn hearing protection!

Understanding the causes of NIHL

The loudness of a sound is measured in units called decibels (dB). An ordinary conversation is approximately 60 dB; city traffic noise can reach 80 dB; and firearms can reach an ear-piercing 140 to 170 dB.

Loud noises above 80 dB can damage the inner ear for good. Not only can sudden loud noises, like gunshots or firecrackers at close range, result in hearing loss, but prolonged exposure to machine noise in a workshop can be damaging too.

Fact: Noise-induced hearing loss is one of America's most common workplace injuries.

Is NIHL preventable?
Absolutely. You can help prevent noise-induced hearing loss by understanding the hazards of noise and by practicing good hearing health, whether in the field, at home, or at work.

  • Know which noises cause damage (80 dB and above).
  • Wear earplugs, earmuffs, or other hearing protection devices when involved in a loud activity such as shooting.
  • Be alert to hazardous noises in the environment.
  • Make family, friends, and fellow shooting enthusiasts aware of noise hazards.

If you’re having trouble hearing, or if sounds you hear are muffled and distorted or there is a ringing or roaring sound in your ears, see a doctor at once! Your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist, a doctor who specializes in the ear, nose, and throat. You may also have your hearing tested by an audiologist.

3 ways to protect and preserve your hearing when shooting. . .

Wear Earmuffs Wear Earplugs Wear Combination Ear & Eye Safety Glasses

 

Audiology