FACTS ABOUT HEARING LOSS
INFANTS:
- Newborns should have a hearing screening no later than 1 month of age. Most babies have their hearing screened before they leave the hospital.
- With 3 of every 1,000 newborns having a hearing loss, it is the most frequently occurring newborn health issue.
- Early identification and management of hearing loss is vital to their early learning experiences & speech/language development.
CHILDREN:
- 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the US are born with a detectable hearing loss in one or both ears.
- Children should have their hearing tested annually.
- Even a mild hearing loss can cause a child to miss 50 percent of classroom discussion.
- Almost 15 percent of school-age children (6-19) have some degree of hearing loss.
TEENS:
- 1 in 5 American teens experience some degree of hearing loss.
- 80 percent of teens with hearing loss report it is due to loud noise.
- Teens are vulnerable to hearing loss due to excessive use of portable music/devices & earbuds. Prevention tip: switch to headphones & follow 60/60 Rule where you keep volume 60% of max or lower and listen with earbuds or headphones for no more than 60 minutes per day.
SENIOR CITIZENS:
- Hearing loss is the third most prevalent health issue in older adults, after arthritis and hearth disease.
- Hearing loss negatively impacts as aspects of wellness including physical health, emotional & mental health, social skills, family relationship, self-esteem, academic & job performance.
VETERANS:
- Hearing issues are the most common service-related disabilities among veterans.
- 2.3 million veterans receive disability compensation or are in treatment for service-related hearing issues.
- Half of all blast-induced injuries sustained result in hearing loss.
ON THE JOB
- While people in the workplace with mild hearing loss show little or no drop in income, as hearing loss increases, so does reduction in compensation.
- More than 30 million Americans are exposed to dangerous levels of noise in their workplace.
TINNITUS
- Tinnitus is a constant ringing or buzzing in the ear. More often than not, severe tinnitus will accompany hearing loss and may be just as debilitating as the hearing loss itself.
- About 10-15 percent of adults experience tinnitus.
- About 50 million people in the US have tinnitus, of which around 12 million seek medical help.
- 1 in 5 teenagers experience tinnitus.
- 60 percent of veterans returning from Iraq & Afghanistan have hearing loss and tinnitus.