Hearing loss

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Hearing loss:

Just read an interesting article in Scientific American. We've had debates about hearing protection. Most folks are clued in on the need but we get someone who says they don't believe it or they shot a gun with no protection and are fine.

So here's a summary:

1. There is variability in response so someone saying that they weren't affected, doesn't mean much to most people. Most get damaged.

2. The damage is not just to the hair cells in the cochlea. The sound can also damage the nerve cells that receive information from the cochlea. This is very important because:

a. Damaging hair cells may show up on the standard audiograms and you will see increased thresholds in various frequency domains

b. Damaging the later nerve cells may not show up in the audiogram but this sort of damage will interfere with the interpretation of complex sounds. So you test OK with the audiogram but start not to be able to process complex sounds as in speech. Thus you get folks who say they can hear the sounds but, for example, can't understand what someone is saying.

The basic frequency perception may be ok but the next set of cells is damaged and you have problems with interpretation.

Interesting info, ear protection is very important. Gun shots might be at 130 to 140 dB. However, a couple of hours at 90 dB (with power gadgets) can do it.

[SeriousStudent]

Issue 2b is the one I have. I'm almost deaf in my left ear. In noisy environments, I have to turn my right ear toward the speaker, and read their lips.

Most of my coworkers accommodate me on this. But loud restaurants or parties not only make conversation impossible, they actually give me a bad headache.

[joshs]

I'm also strongly in 2b. At 30, I already have such a bad case of tinnitus that it can sometimes interfere with my ability to focus. In my case, it's mostly shots fired without ears while hunting, but I also think that any time spent without two of the three forms of hearing protection (plugs, muffs, suppressors) is a contributing factor. I find it very annoying that the feds make it more difficult to use appropriate hearing protection while hunting, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a push to reduce the regulations on suppressors at the federal level.

[Odin Bravo One]

I got double whammy'd several years ago with ear damage compounded by TBI, which combined made my right ear barely functional, and not even a candidate for the highest speed hearing aides.

More and more often my wife orders for me when we eat out, since it is much easier for her to do that than to get the wait staff to recognize someone with hearing difficulties unless they are wearing a giant visible hearing aide. Even when I had a trial aide, most of the mouth breathers couldn't understand why I was not able to decipher their incoherent mumbling in a crowded room with substantial background noise.

But at least I am entitled to disability for it. Oh wait, not anymore. Rules changed a few years ago.

Thanks Obama.

[voodoo_man]

Unfortunately putting ear pro on, or in, is usually a secondary thought when the fan gets moist, so I think I am well past 2b, sometimes I have to get people to repeat what they are saying, not because I didn't understand it but because I couldn't hear one or two complex sounds they made (especially saying or spelling "urban" names) or listening the radio handset, sometimes it makes funny sounds and I have no idea what or who said what.

Of course this was all brought on by years of under-protected shooting and incidents. Was in a house a bunch of years back when an M16 went off next to my head (coworker was taking care of business) that was followed up by several nights of having Glocks and shotguns go off in the same room as me. That ringing doesn't go away quickly either, the doctors said I'll be fine and I could pass any audiogram test right now, but picking up faint complex sounds is not something i can do well.

[Drang]

2b. Has little to do with gunfire, much to do with static in headphones*, HMMWVs, helicopters, and generators.

The VA of course, says there's nothing wrong with me.


*And the occasional commie holding his mike right next to the breech of his D30 as the lanyard is pulled...

[Robinson]

My problem (which I've shared in other threads here) is both 2a and 2b. I've learned that one of the more expensive digital aids with lots of programmable frequency bands does actually help and also somewhat relieves the tinnitus in my left ear. Finding a way to afford it is another matter. As soon as I can, I will probably purchase one.

I'm thankful to Sean M for giving me the kick in the ass (in a thread) to go to a damned audiologist and get this ball rolling.

[Peally]

If someone is seriously arguing that they don't need earpro on a square range I'd just back off and let Darwin sort himself out. It's like arguing that you need to start wearing oven mitts when you're grabbing a 500 degree metal baking sheet.

Unexpected/work related shootings are a different beast and unfortunately there's often not much getting around that.

[TR675]

Slightly 2b. Too many rock shows without ear pro as an 18-22 year old.

[GRV]

For the LE crowd: Do you keep something like a pair of electronic earmuffs in the patrol car for use in the event that you need to respond to a situation with known shots fired upfront?