We at Neeson & Associates provide voice-to-text captioning for those with a hearing loss. Hearing damage has become a major issue in Canada and the United States, affecting not only older generations but teens as well. In fact, Hearing loss among teenagers has significantly risen in the past ten years, jumping to 30%.

One in 10 Canadians has some sort of hearing loss and one in 40 has enough hearing damage that it is disruptive in their day-to-day lives. So why are more and more young people getting hard of hearing? It could be due to their iPods, mp3 players and concert-going ways.

Recently, the National Post (a Toronto newspaper) wrote an article on teen hearing and its relation to portable audio players and the level of noise at concerts. It featured Dr. Brian Hands, an ear, nose and throat specialist who explains how live entertainment can really pose a problem later on in life.

” You know you have hearing loss if you go to a rock concert and you come out with a buzzing in your ears and you feel that your hearing is diminished,” Dr. Hands says. If it lasts more than 12 to 24 hours, you’ve suffered some potentially permanent hearing loss. “Sometimes, it will recover, but if it’s that profound, meaning at a level of 105 to 120 decibels and you’re there for two-, three-, four-hour concerts, then there’s obviously a risk of permanent hearing loss.”

So how can you help your teenager enjoy the music without harming his/her eardrums? Dr. Hands recommends using earplugs at every concert. Earplugs are a great way to diminish the level sound without completely blocking it. Whether you decide to go cheap or expensive – either will work to help protect your ears.

Hearing loss is a serious concern that we all need to LISTEN to (at any age). See the full article from the National Post here.