Why does hearing health matter?

Before delving into the diverse, advanced, and effective range of products related to the prevention of hearing loss and the protection of your ears, it is worth asking yourself why? Why should I care so much? Often, matters like hearing loss can seem irrelevant, an issue for those in the older age brackets, and “it wouldn’t happen to me” kind of thing.

In order to impress the importance of protecting your hearing to you, it is necessary to consider two things: prevalence and consequence.

As far as prevalence goes, according to the Hearing Care Industry Association, one in six Australians is deaf, deafblind, hearing impaired or has a chronic ear disorder. Furthermore, one-third of people acquire their hearing loss through preventable means, and the total number of the population impaired by hearing loss is expected to rise to one in four by 2050. Yet, this not just due to an ageing population, but the increased exposure to dangerously loud noise particularly common in the ubiquitous usage of (you guessed it!!) headphones and earphones.

Yet, the prevalence of hearing loss does not subdue its hefty consequences, with employment rates for those with hearing loss 20% lower for men and 16% lower for women. Furthermore, the psychological distress catalyzed by hearing loss – from minor embarrassment and frustration to more severe relational breakdowns and feelings of isolation – greatly deteriorates one’s quality of life. Hearing loss is not a trivial annoyance, but a sensory impairment that can sap the energy and joy out of various spheres of one’s life, including music, conversations and relationships.

Hearing loss is thus not an unavoidable plague affecting a small minority of society, but a serious issue prevalent throughout our community with difficult consequences. And with current projections toward the future looking bleak, it is vital that each and every one of us takes the necessary precautions to protect the longevity of our ears.