Photo credit: Francesco Ungaro
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
The World Health Organization celebrates World Hearing Day on March 3. The numeral “3” sort of looks like an ear, which is why this day was selected. This year’s World Hearing Day theme is: “Changing mindsets: empowering yourself to make ear and hearing care a reality for all.” The campaign encourages people to “see the role of ear and hearing health in well-being and participation in life.”
This year WHO will introduce a global standard for safe listening in video games and E-sports, and a school module about smart listening. The WHO announcement also includes information about preventing noise-induced hearing loss. I think this is the first time WHO has mentioned prevention. That’s my personal goal, preventing noise-induced auditory disorders* in two ways. This includes making the world a quieter place, but also educating members of the public about the dangers of noise so they can protect their ears when it’s noisy.
Preventing noise-induced hearing loss is simple and inexpensive. If it sounds loud, it’s too loud and one’s hearing is at risk. Turn down the sound volume, leave the noisy environment or use hearing protection.
*Noise-induced auditory disorders include hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and hyperacusis (a sensitivity to noise that doesn’t bother others). There are thousands of studies in humans and animals about the noise exposure levels that will cause noise-induced hearing loss, but as best as I can tell there are none delineating the noise exposure levels that cause tinnitus or hyperacusis. Most experts think that avoiding loud noise will also prevent tinnitus and hyperacusis.
