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| Science & Technology |
| Hearing loss is biggest disability among military veterans, expert says |
| 2024-11-10 |
| That, and the psychotic rage. It's good we can't hear what people are saying. [FoxNews] As thousands of wounded warriors and military veterans battle disabilities and injuries every day, the most common ailment often gets overlooked. Tinnitus, or ringing in the ear, is the leading disability in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to Dr. Tom Tedeschi, chief audiology director for Amplifon Hearing Health Care. Utah-based Tedeschi, who is also a Vietnam-era Army veteran, shared with Fox News Digital how prevalent hearing loss and complications are among the veteran community. About 60% of Vietnam veterans and 50% of Gulf War veterans suffer from hearing loss, according to the expert. "It's estimated that probably one out of every three veterans has some degree of hearing loss or tinnitus," he said. "And it's just because we're around noise all the time … The military is not a quiet place." When hearing is lost, it "doesn’t grow back," the expert cautioned — and even mild hearing loss in young veterans can become more severe with time. "There are more people now under the age of 50 with hearing loss than over the age of 50." CARE AND PROTECTION "Most people who have hearing loss do not acknowledge it," he said. "It's the people around them who notice." Tedeschi urged veterans to seek help if they experience a constant ringing in the ears, otherwise known as tinnitus, or trouble hearing while having conversations or watching TV. "We can't cure [tinnitus] or make it completely disappear, but there are different protocols and strategies to help," he said. This could include wearing hearing aids, which Tedeschi said are "light years ahead" of what they were a decade ago. Tedeschi emphasized the importance of wearing proper hearing protection, like ear buds and earmuffs, both in and out of combat. "We live in a noisy world," he said. "If you're out mowing the lawn, you should pop in some hearing protection. A lot of people love to go to concerts ... Those are loud and they can sustain damage." Some medications, like aspirin, can cause hearing loss as a side effect, Tedeschi warned. "If you're taking a lot of aspirin for arthritis or things like this, you need to be careful – and talk to your doctor about whether there is an alternative," he advised. Tedeschi encouraged veterans to seek help to avoid further complications linked to hearing loss, such as cognitive decline. "We're seeing more and more individuals with untreated hearing loss who have faster decline in their cognitive function, because the brain is working overtime to compensate," he told Fox News Digital. "For our veterans, you need to know there's help out there for you, and there's no need to experience all the co-morbidities associated with hearing loss." Veterans can visit their local VA center to have their hearing evaluated or connect with their counselor for a referral to a hearing loss specialist. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #11 My old man was in the Navy WW2 and manned a AA gun. How did any of those guys hear anything? A 30-06 rifle firing 6 inches from your head would be plenty to knock out the audio. |
| Posted by: alanc 2024-11-10 14:51 |
| #10 The Phonak V90's are State of the art. The VA gets them wholesale for less than $400. |
| Posted by: Difar Dave 2024-11-10 12:49 |
| #9 Mine are from 35 years in machine shops. |
| Posted by: badanov 2024-11-10 10:25 |
| #8 Hell, I've got tinnitus from construction (bridges, pile driving, heavy equipment) so I have no doubt mil-types have it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2024-11-10 10:13 |
| #7 Re: #6: I received 10% for my hearing, but on a more practical level, state of the hearing aids as well as all consumables. A bigger surprise was the call to make an app’t about 5 years later; VA audiologist said I needed new units. Why, these are working fine. So new bluetooth enabled units arrived. Suspect that VA, like all gov’t agencies, has a ‘use it or lose it’ budget philosophy. Don’t get me wrong, they gave me back what 26 years of playing with airplanes took away. The day we ( a group of about 7) got our first units (tailored for each person’s needs) we are sitting around a table. Someone slid the attendance sheet my way to sign and I had to play with it; hadn’t realized that soft sound of the paper on the table had been missing in my world. While the 10% won’t make me rich, the hearing aids are the next best thing to not experiencing hearing loss at all. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2024-11-10 10:07 |
| #6 Yeah, but try to get disability for hearing loss from the VA is like a pursuit resulting in a 'myth of Sisyphus' type result. Alas |
| Posted by: illeagle 2024-11-10 09:13 |
| #5 All them loud bangs add up. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-11-10 08:31 |
| #4 Artillery, armor, 55K generators, gee, wonder what it could be? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2024-11-10 08:20 |
| #3 Military grade tinnitus |
| Posted by: Clem+Elmish4239 2024-11-10 07:08 |
| #2 The 'eeeeeeeeeeeee' that I hear 24/7/365 almost drowns out all conversation. It seems to get worse/louder in a noisy crowd. Naturally, nothing can be done. But no 'psychotic rage' here thankfully. I think. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2024-11-10 06:42 |
| #1 What?? |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2024-11-10 04:11 |