Hearing loss can affect your quality of life and take away from special time with loved ones. Unlike a broken bone, we can’t “heal” our natural ability to hear. Once it’s damaged, it’s damaged for good.

To show the severity of this problem, here are 10 facts you may not know about hearing loss in the United States.

About 12% of the U.S. population (about 38 million Americans) suffer from hearing loss.
Over 90% of deaf children have parents that can hear.
In adults over age 65, about 30-40% of the population suffers from hearing loss.
In children ages 6-19, 15% of the population has measurable hearing loss in eat least one ear.
5 out of every 1,000 newborns will have hearing loss.
Exposure to noisy situations, such as traffic, even for 15 minutes a day, over time, can cause permanent damage to hearing.
Even mild hearing loss can cause a child to miss as much as 50% of a discussion in the classroom.
14% of adults age 45-64 experience hearing loss in some way.
About 50 million people in the United States are affected by Tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
People who suffer from hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before they choose to seek help.

Noise-induced hearing loss is cumulative, invisible, and permanent. To learn more about getting help for your hearing loss, or to share information with someone you care about, please contact us at our Dothan, Alabama location.