We celebrate World Hearing Day every year on March 3rd. Its purpose is to raise awareness about hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care around the world. This year's theme is "Hear the future." The hope is to draw attention to the expected increase in the number of people with hearing loss across the world over the upcoming years.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 360 million people in the world with disabling hearing loss. 32 million of them are children or about 5 out of every 1,000 births.
The majority of childhood hearing loss across the world is due to preventable causes. For instance, over 30% of global hearing loss in children is caused by measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis or chronic ear infections, which could be prevented with proper medical treatments.
Hearing loss can have an impact on a child's development and educational achievements. Early identification and treatment can ensure that children with hearing loss get the same opportunities as children who can hear. Other solutions include: strengthening mother and child immunizations, raising awareness and improving access to services, screenings, prevention, healthcare and hearing devices.
Amplifon's Miracle Ear Foundation supported children and adults around the world with 2,700 hearing solutions and 150,000 hearing kits in 2016. We believe that hearing health should be accessible to everyone.
Teens and young adults
The occurrence of hearing loss throughout the world is expected to rise over the coming years. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.1 billion young people, ages 12 to 35, are at risk of developing hearing loss worldwide due to recreational exposure to loud sounds.
Recreational noise exposure comes from loud concerts, clubs, sporting events, machinery and personal music devices like MP3 players, headphones and earbuds. Over half of teens and young adults worldwide spend an hour or more per day using headphones and 29% of them listen at loud or maximum volumes.
Regular exposure to loud sounds for prolonged periods of time is a serious threat to hearing loss. There's no cure for noise-induced hearing loss. Once hearing cells inside the inner ear are damaged, they can't come back.
Noise-induced hearing loss is 100% preventable. It's important to spread the word about the risks and follow safe listening practices like these.
- Turn down the volume. Keep the sound level at 60% of the maximum or less.
- Wear hearing protection in noisy places. Pack foam earplugs or earmuffs.
- Limit exposure to loud noises. Listen at a level of 85 dB or under for a maximum of 8 hours a day. If you’re exposed to loud levels of noise on a particular day, then avoid other loud activities for the rest of that day. Give your ears a rest.
Parents and grandparents should play an active role in monitoring noise exposure and educating kids and young adults about safe listening and hearing loss. Some devices are equipped with parental controls that allow adults to adjust loudness levels.
Most of all, you should be a role model and protect your own hearing by practicing safe listening. To find out more about safe listening and quality hearing protection, meet with a hearing professional.