The Facts on Deafness

More and more people suffer on a yearly basis from the effects of deafness. Roughly 48 million Americans suffer from some level of hearing loss. This equates to around 12 percent of the population.

There are many causes of hearing loss — age, exposure to loud noise and consistent earbud usage, to name a few – but no matter the cause, hearing loss cannot be cured only treated. Here are some basic facts on hearing loss.

• Though 165 million people over the age of 65 worldwide live with hearing loss, the majority of those dealing with loss of hearing are under the age of 65.
• Tinnitus will affect 50 million Americans over the course of their lives. Tinnitus is a symptom of hearing loss and causes a ringing, howling or crashing-wave sound in one or both ears.
• 32 million children under the age of 15 are affected by loss of hearing every year. This can be a result of earbud usage and exposure to loud music.
• On average, a person that experiences loss of hearing will wait seven years before they seek help. This can be a problem as in that amount of time a lot of damage can occur to a person’s hearing and affect their life greatly.
• Noise is the leading cause of loss of hearing in people as every day they are subjected to a large number of loud noises that all take a toll on their hearing and can actually lead to them not realizing that they are having an issue until it is too late to do anything about it.
• 30 million people, on average, are exposed to loud noises that can greatly affect their hearing. Loud noises include music, gunshots, heavy machinery, airplane takeoff and landing and more.

These are just a few of many facts about hearing loss. We hope that these stats let you know that you are not alone and that it is okay to seek help for you or your loved one.