Noise Deafness
Arguably the most frightening type of deafness, noise deafness can impact anyone. Let's take a closer look at what noise deafness is and realize quickly just how easily it can be avoided.
In the past, only older people and children are highly susceptible to loss of hearing. At least, that was until noise deafness became prevalent, thanks to the industrialization of cities and the rise of jobs that results to constant exposure to noise, as well as noise pollution from other sources.
What is disturbing about this particular type of deafness is that it can affect every age and every demographic. Children and adolescents are also subject to this type of hearing problem. As a matter of fact, more than 10% of children between the ages of six and nineteen may suffer from permanent ear damage due to excessive noise - a statistic that may have prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend hearing tests several times at the course of schooling.
Noise deafness occurs when excessive sound is transmitted through the ears and the entire auditory system. Let's take a look at how the ear works. Sound signals travel from the source and enters the external auditory canal and in to the tympanic membrane. This sets the middle ear system into motion and the mechanical energy is transferred to the cochlea by way of a hammering motion. This motion causes the fluid in the inner ear, particularly the cochlea, to push against parts of the hair cells that would ultimately pass the message to the brain for processing.
Noise-induced deafness occurs when these hair cells are over-stimulated because of exposure to excessive sound. This over-stimulation results to the death of hair cells. While experiments have shown that antioxidants might prevent cell damage and death, there is no sufficient proof that they fully prevent hair cell death from occurring. While noise-induced deafness results from constant exposure to intense sound, there have been numerous cases of deafness induced by a single instant of exposure to high-intensity sounds such as gunfire or explosions.
The hard truth is that at present, there are no medical options, like surgery, that can reverse the damage brought by excessive noise. However, noise-induced deafness may be prevented by the use of ear plugs and ear muffs, especially if the noise that you are exposed to is at the workplace, and therefore, unavoidable. There have also been developments in digital hearing aid technology, which would be of great help to people with noise-induced hearing loss. There are also management programs, behavioral and otherwise, that can help people cope with noise deafness.
