{"id":14368,"date":"2023-05-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/es.sorenson.com\/?p=14368"},"modified":"2024-01-16T12:14:26","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T19:14:26","slug":"hearing-loss-due-to-military-service-veterans-and-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/es.sorenson.com\/en\/blog\/captioncall\/hearing-loss-due-to-military-service-veterans-and-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing Loss Due to Military Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hearing Loss Due to Military Service: An Interview with Audiologist Stephen DeMari<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The most common service-connected disabilities for American veterans are hearing loss and tinnitus, which is a ringing or buzzing in the ears. An estimated 3.6 million veterans receive compensation for hearing loss or tinnitus.1<\/sup> And veterans from every war from World War II through the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars, and peace time are impacted.<\/p>

Compared to the general male population 11% fewer male veterans have good to excellent hearing while 10% more have at least moderate trouble hearing.2<\/sup><\/p>

Both hearing problems and tinnitus can impact quality of life and communication. And both contribute to isolation, frustration, and even depression if not addressed.<\/p>

We sat down with audiologist Stephen DeMari<\/a>, who is also Sorenson\u2019s director of business development and education, to talk about veterans and hearing loss.<\/p>

Why Talk to Stephen About Hearing Loss in Veterans?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"\"Stephen has more than 30 years of experience in the audiology and hearing aid industries. He earned his master\u2019s degree in audiology from Syracuse University. He then completed a clinical and research audiologist fellowship at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach, California. He\u2019s a member of both the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Q:\u202fDo veterans have different types of hearing loss than the general population?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

A: No. There are different types of hearing loss.<\/strong> Conductive hearing loss occurs in the outer and\/or middle ear. It can be caused by debris, excess ear wax, disease, or trauma.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), results from noise exposure, age, disease, or a combination of these. It involves the inner-ear and\/or auditory nerve. It\u2019s usually the result of damage to the hair cells in the inner ear. Severity of SNHL can be mild to profound.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

SNHL is the most common type of hearing loss for veterans and non-veterans. Veterans most commonly suffer from high-frequency SNHL, which means they struggle to hear high-pitched sounds.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Q: What are some of the causes of hearing loss for veterans?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

A:<\/strong> Hearing is a complex mix of three parts of our ears.<\/strong> Sound waves vibrate tiny bones in our ears and those vibrations create waves that interact with hair cells in our ear and create an electric signal that the brain interprets as sound.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

That\u2019s a very basic and abbreviated description. The complexity of it creates a number of opportunities for aging, noise exposure, disease, and heredity to affect hearing. Still, the most common cause of hearing loss is loud noise.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Hearing loss for service members results from gunfire, aircraft, tanks, bombs, and trauma from blast explosions. With noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), the longer the exposure and the more intense sound, the greater the damage that occurs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

A lawn mower has a decibel level of about 95, while military guns range in the 150 decibels. Grenades and louder explosives can exceed 170 decibels.\u00a0 Anti-tank fire can approach 190 decibels. A single grenade or tank blast can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss. Anything over 140 decibels instantly damages nerves. Exposure to 130 decibels can cause permanent damage with as little as 30 minutes of exposure.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Q:\u202fWhat are some of the symptoms a\u202fveteran may experience with hearing loss or damage?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

A: Symptoms depend on the severity of impact.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Tinnitus isn\u2019t hearing loss but a sensation of ringing, buzzing, clicking, or even roaring in one or both ears. It can seem like an engine or appliance is always running nearby. For some people, it\u2019s loud and persistent enough to be debilitating.\u00a0<\/p>

A feeling of fullness in the ears can be a symptom of hearing loss. It can feel something like needing to pop your ears when you go up in elevation. Other symptoms of general hearing loss include:\u00a0<\/p>