There are three major causes of hearing loss in both adults and children; the first is congenital or deformities from birth, the second is from exposure to loud noises and the other one is drug-induced. The most common hearing loss is noise-induced hearing loss. Below are the causes of these types of hearing loss and the ways how to avoid them.
- Noise-induced hearing loss or NIHL is caused by too much exposure to loud noise either over a long period of time or to abrupt burst of loud noise. To avoid this, stay away from places and things that produce loud noises. When using headphones or earphones, lower the volume of your device and do not use it for more than an hour.
- Make sure that your ears can rest after exposure to loud noises. Remember that if you have totally lost your hearing it is irreversible, so always take extra care of your ears. You can also use ear plugs or ear muffs when you are in place where there are loud noises such as in a bar or if you are in a gun range firing a gun.
- Drug-induced hearing loss is caused mainly by taking medications that is not properly prescribed to a person, or is sometimes caused by a disease in which the medication’s side effect is hearing loss. These can be treated by doctors that specializes in ears or EENT doctors. If the medications that you are taking produce a ringing sound in your ear or cause temporary hearing loss, it is advisable to consult your doctor right away.
- Birth defects are one of the causes of hearing loss. This occurs even before birth, when the structures of the ears are still developing. Surgery can sometimes correct the condition but it is recommended that you consult your doctor first before undergoing any kind of surgery. Head injury caused by accidents also causes hearing loss. But this kind of hearing loss is temporary most of the time and your hearing will be back hours or days after the accident. Be sure to get medical attention and tell your doctor about your condition so that he can do the proper treatment for you.
Having known all of these causes of hearing loss, the most effective way of avoiding these is to simply avoiding what caused it in the first place. But if it is inevitable, you must wear ear protection to lessen the damage of loud noises to your ears and ask your doctor about the many ways you can prevent hearing loss.
