Today marks the beginning of World Hearing Day, a time to consider the things that those of us with hearing loss go through every single day. Despite being far more common than you might believe, hearing loss is a condition that can have a serious impact on your day to day life and can be far more detrimental to a person’s wellbeing than you may be aware of. Yet, for many, it remains a topic that few discuss – especially when it comes to people’s ability to work.

Let’s take a look at some little-known facts surrounding deafness and hearing loss:

  1. According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that up to 466 million people worldwide suffer from disabling hearing loss. This is over 5% of the entire world’s population.
  2. By 2050, up to 2.5 billion are expected to have some form of hearing loss, with over 700 million people – one in ten – suffering from debilitating hearing problems.
  3. More than 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices and inadequate preventative measures.
  4. Hearing loss is a global class issue: nearly 80% of people with disabling hearing loss reside in low-to-middle income countries.
  5. Furthermore, it is also an age issue. For all of those above the age of 60, more than 25% are affected by incapacitating hearing loss.
  6. Hearing loss can be caused by a huge variety of different factors, including but not limited to:
    • Head/Ear trauma
    • Loud sounds
    • Ototoxic medicines
    • Nutrient deficiencies
    • Viral infections
    • Work-related ototoxic chemicals
    • Genetic factors
    • Intrauterine infections
    • Lack of oxygen at birth
    • Low birth weight
    • Chronic ear infection
    • Meningitis
    • Smoking
    • Otosclerosis
    • Impacted earwax

 

For people in the work environment, it can have a massive impact on an individual’s ability to carry out their duties effectively. Many jobs are dependent upon one’s ability to hear, especially those that involve heavy machinery, working animals and moving vehicles. Key examples include jobs in construction, production and agriculture. Work in these fields features a particularly high-risk factor associated with hearing loss and individuals who have jobs in these should always have their hearing properly assessed in order to ensure maximum safety for themselves and others.

Here at Meduc8ion we offer a range of courses – including ear anatomy, otoscopy and earwax removal – that enable you to stay on top of your business’ hearing health. To book your place on one of our celebrated courses, please use the following link here.

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