| It seems as if wherever she looks there is a person | | | | a pair of headphones as doctors say is to ward of |
| holding a portable music player and listening through | | | | the ambient noises that come from the streets as |
| ear phones. One senior at Chicago University | | | | well as from buses not to mention trains. Nothing can |
| comments on how they are widespread as she | | | | not cause hearing loss. |
| herself has an iPod for when she studies or hits the | | | | The tricky part of hearing loss is that you don't know |
| gym. They are not familiar though about cases of | | | | early on. There is an otologist in Minnesota who says |
| damaged hearing in their particular age group. There is | | | | that a number of years and exposures are necessary |
| nothing but fear associated by researchers to the | | | | before the problem is discovered. As ringing happens |
| continuous growth in popularity of portable music | | | | when you leave a noisy venue you can say that |
| players and similar devices connected to the ears. | | | | there is some damage in the ears. If you rest your |
| Some time ago, the usage with regard to these | | | | ears, they might recover, at least partially doctors |
| devices are not as extreme as what can be | | | | say. Continuous exposure can be the cause for |
| witnessed today, as said by the director of clinical | | | | damage to the hairs in the inner ear though and |
| education in audiology from an Indiana university. You | | | | these are necessary for you to hear. |
| could say that listening has become more of a full | | | | Associated with much usage of these portable |
| time activity. In his opinion, senior citizen ears could | | | | devices are rechargeable batteries that according to |
| now be seen in the youth. Through the efforts of his | | | | a Northern Colorado university audiologist, who works |
| colleagues and himself, they were able to discover | | | | with children and hearing, lead people to listen to |
| how noise induced hearing loss has developed in most | | | | them all day long. There is nothing unusual when |
| of the students that participated in their random | | | | people turn up the volume too loud as well. When it |
| examinations. Such a loss of hearing applies to higher | | | | comes to ear damaging noise levels, the summer |
| frequencies and it can be the reason behind a mild | | | | survey published by the national acoustic laboratories |
| ringing in the ears or even the failure to follow | | | | found out that 25 percent of people with portable |
| conversations when a place in particular is somewhat | | | | stereos are exposed to such on a daily basis. There |
| noisy. | | | | has also been research done by Britain's royal national |
| A buzzing or whooshing sound, internal ringing in the | | | | institute for deaf people where it showed that |
| ears, as well as conditions of a more pronounced | | | | people aged from 18 to 24 years are the ones who |
| tinnitus are common in 300 to 40 year olds as | | | | tend to exceed safe listening volume levels. |
| mentioned by a number of specialists. The director of | | | | How much is too much? According to the studies |
| a hearing center at a children's hospital in Houston, | | | | conducted by researchers from a children's hospital in |
| who's treating more of this age group now says it | | | | Boston, the rule of thumb to safe usage is using |
| may be that they're seeing the tip of the iceberg | | | | portable music players for an hour a day and only at |
| now. For them, even similar cases will not be the | | | | 60 percent of the volume capacity. For the experts, |
| cause for alarm. | | | | there are other ways by which people can protect |
| Everything from loud concerts and clubs to power | | | | their hearing and these include standing away from |
| tools used regularly and even the use of firearms can | | | | loud speakers and using ear plugs when working or |
| all lead to noise induced hearing loss. Another use for | | | | engaging in recreational activities. |