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Ann Orso listens to her iPod so much the ear buds double as accessories.
"It's like I have background music all the time," the Central York junior said. "In school, after school, when I'm working out, in the car, at night when I'm doing homework." Like many teens, the 16-year-old from West Manchester Township doesn't realize how iPod use could affect ear health. She listens at around 75 percent volume, despite her parents warning that she might go deaf. Deaf might be a little over-dramatic, but audiologists are researching the effects of "ear level devices," such as iPods or Bluetooth devices for cell phones. And Orso's listening habits approach the cusp of what experts consider unsafe use of iPods -- 80 percent volume for 90 minutes a day. The American Academy of Audiology recently estimated one in eight children have noise-induced hearing loss -- and many don't even know it or care. The facts about ear damage surprised Orso, and Dover Area High School senior Matt Higgins sounded even less concerned about the risk of listening to his iPod near full volume for eight to 10 hours per day. "It's probably one of the last things I think about," said the 19-year-old from Dover Township, who sometimes listens while sleeping. "I'm probably going to have problems when I'm old anyway, why not have bad hearing?" Higgins might someday regret that stance, doctors said, because ear damage is permanent. With the proper care, patients can only maintain their hearing.
"But once you start to lose it, it doesn't come back," said Ann Welker, a doctor of audiology at Audio Professional Hearing Aid Center. Some patients at Welker's York Township practice know that firsthand. iPods don't interest Randy Bange, 44, of Jackson Township, but he saw quite a few rock concerts in the 1970s and worked most of his life in welding and machine shops. He started wearing hearing aids in his late 30s and now implores his three children to turn the music down and wear ear plugs while mowing the lawn. Most data suggests hearing loss is as prevalent now as it was 30 years ago, which audiologist Brian Fligor calls a "complete and utter failure." Technology for the younger generation has replaced factory noise for many in Bange's generation as a main culprit for hearing damage. "We're shipping a lot of our noisier jobs to China and overseas," said Fligor, the director of diagnostic audiology at Children's Hospital Boston. "There's so much we've learned in 30 years . . . we should have seen the numbers drop dramatically, and we haven't." Recent research published in the scholarly journal Ear and Hearing found that about 90 percent of college undergraduates listen to iPods. The ubiquitous devices cause permanent damage in 5 to 10 percent of users, Fligor said. Welker said she sees few patients younger than 40. Most improper iPod users won't notice their hearing deterioration until years later. "They probably say, 'Oh it can't happen to me; I'm too young,'" Fligor said. "We know they're out there, but they haven't actually come in yet."
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STYLISH HEARING AIDS
The bulky, flesh-colored hearing aids are becoming a thing of the past.
Hearing aid manufacturers are using new technology and designs to make their products more palpable for younger patients. "To need something in your 20s or 30s that's deemed to be a geriatric device was kind of humiliating, I have to say," said Scott Gore, 35, of Dillsburg. Fortunately for Gore, a professor at Carroll (Md.) Community College, newer hearing aid models are smaller and sleeker, fitting behind the user's ear lobe and barely visible from the front. And they can come in your favorite color. Performance has also improved. Nearly all new hearing aids are made with digital processors that automatically change the amplification depending on background noise and frequency. The downside is price. Most insurance plans don't cover hearing aids, and Gore spent $6,000 on his higher-end devices. He expects they will last him about 10 years. "I have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars for the rest of my life just to function like a normal human being," he said.
HOW THE DAMAGE IS CAUSED
The human ear can handle a certain "dose" of noise each day, said audiologist Brian Fligor of Children's Hospital Boston.
Noise impacts tiny "hair cells" deep in the ear that send vibration signals to your brain, Fligor said. If those cells are overworked, they die and turn to scar tissue. Fligor said the dead cells cannot be regenerated. "They are prematurely aging their ear," Fligor said. "Every day someone who listens to an iPod too much kills a few cells."
HOW LOUD IS IT?
Here is an American Academy of Audiology guide to the decibel levels of some common noises:
"Painful and dangerous": 130 to 140 decibels; fireworks, gun shots, custom car stereos at full volume, jackhammers and ambulances; use hearing protection or avoid.
"Uncomfortable": 120 decibels; jet planes during takeoff; dangerous if heard more than 30 seconds.
"Very loud": 90 to 110 decibels; concerts, car horns, sporting events, snowmobiles, MP3 players at full volume; dangerous more than 30 minutes.
"Loud": 70 to 80 decibels; traffic, vacuums, alarm clocks.
"Moderate": 50 to 60 decibels; normal conversation, dishwashers, moderate rainfall.
"Soft": 30 to 40 decibels; quiet library, whisper.
"Faint": 20 decibels; leaves rustling. (by inyork.com)
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