Hearing loss can come from acoustic stress that damages the way these vibrations are processed.
When sound travels into the inner ear, it might produce a threshold shift, which can result in hearing loss.
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Acoustic Trauma: Definition
Acoustic trauma is damage to the inner ear that is frequently induced by exposure to loud noise. This damage can develop as a result of a single, extremely loud noise or through repeated exposure to noises at high decibel levels.
If your doctor suspects you have acoustic trauma, they may try to distinguish between the trauma that happened immediately as a result of an injury and trauma that occurs over time as a result of repeated exposure to loud noises.
Acoustic Trauma: Are You at Risk?
Acoustic trauma unusually leads to some degree of hearing loss. It’s is more likely in people who are constantly exposed to noise levels above 85 dB (a decibel level of 70 or less is deemed safe).
If it was triggered by a loud, unexpected noise, such as a gunshot or other explosion, hearing loss can occur soon afterward, but in other instances, especially if you were exposed to loud noises over a longer period of time, it might take months or years for the hearing loss symptoms to become apparent.
The sort of employment you have may raise your chances of suffering from auditory damage, and it is common among persons who operate with heavy machines and those who serve in the military.
Acoustic trauma and tinnitus, for example, are two of the most frequent illnesses among combat veterans. Over 765,000 Gulf War soldiers suffered hearing loss as a result of acoustic stress.
You’re at higher risk of auditory stress if you:
- Work in an environment where loud industrial equipment is used for long periods of time
- Live or work in an environment where other high-decibel sounds are frequently heard
- Frequently attend music concerts and other events with loud music
- Frequently use gun ranges
- Frequently encounter extremely loud sounds without proper protection, such as earplugs
Acoustic Trauma: Symptoms
If we talk about acoustic trauma, the one thing is sure – the inner ear is the location of the injury, and it occurs when the sensitive hair cells’ connections to the nerve cells that control hearing are severed.
Sounds that are louder than 130 dB should be avoided. The natural microphone in the ear, the Corti organ, might be damaged by Trusted Source. The eardrum, as well as the tiny muscles in the ear, notably the tensor tympani muscle, can be also injured by acoustic damage.
You might have acoustic trauma if you:
- Often turn up the volume on your phone, TV, or sound system.
- Recognize Tinnitus symptoms such as a ringing in your ear or a buzzing sensation in your mind.
- Noises that you used to be able to hear clearly are now muted or unclear.
- Request that others talk louder.
Acoustic Trauma: Treatment
The type of hearing loss you have and the therapies your medical team feels will work best for you will determine your medical therapy, but it’s crucial to realize that full hearing restoration isn’t always possible.
Instead, treatment may be focused on avoiding more hearing loss and restoring as much of your hearing loss as feasible.
Todays most popular treatments for hearing loss caused by acoustic trauma are:
- Surgical repair of the eardrum
- Usage of the hearing aids
- Treatment with steroids
Workers Compensation
Hearing loss workers’ compensation benefits are largely undiscovered benefits covering hearing health care, which is often uninsured. Many health insurance policies and programs like Medicare do not cover hearing aid purchases but workers’ compensation can. It also pays for the disability of hearing loss just as it does for the loss of eyesight or other injuries.
Aging populations, advances in technology, and greater sensitivity to hearing loss are bringing more attention to financing hearing health care. For the most part, those who qualify for hearing loss workers’ compensation benefits are retired hearing-impaired workers who live on fixed incomes.
Always feel free to ask Johnson Law Offices about the process, the law, or an individual case. The legal, medical, and audio-metric questions that come into play in a hearing loss workers’ compensation claim can be complicated.
The claims require attention to detail mixed with an ability to work well with hearing-impaired retirees and their families, especially spouses, and their hearing health care professionals.
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If you, or anyone you know, worked in noise and suffers from hearing loss, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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