HEARING BASICS

Hearing loss information for your patients

About 31 million people in North America have some degree of hearing loss. Approximately eleven million of these people are 65 years of age and over. Another ten million are between the ages of 48 and 64 years of age. Their ears no longer perceive the fine differences in sounds that enrich our daily lives.

Hearing is critical to our safety and our ability to verbally communicate with others. For instance, when crossing a road, we not only look with our eyes but we also listen to the noise of traffic to determine if it’s safe to cross. We listen to the cry of a baby to determine whether it is hungry or tired. We hear sirens of emergency vehicles, the doorbell, and the smoke alarm. We listen to the sounds of our family talking and laugh- ing, separating each distinct voice, following the banter of conversation around the room at family gatherings.

We live in a very social world where communication is primarily verbal. Recent studies have demonstrated that untreated hearing loss can lead to anxiety, depression, isolation and loneliness.

As Helen Keller so aptly said, a healthy sense of hearing allows us to have intelligent discourse with whomever we please.

As an otolaryngologist, a physician specializing in ear, nose and throat disorders (ENT), it is rewarding to offer a booklet that will help consumers to better understand and utilize the latest in hearing technology.

Joerg Lutz, M.D.