The men and women who serve our country in uniform too often endure incapacitating mental, physical, and emotional difficulties after their service is finished. While healthcare for veterans is a continuing dialogue, relatively little attention has been paid to the most prevalent disabilities diagnosed in veterans: Hearing loss and tinnitus.
Veterans are 30% more likely than civilians to deal with severe hearing impairment, even when occupation and age are factored in. Hearing loss, related to military service, has been reported at least back to the second world war, but it’s a lot more widespread in veterans who have served more recently. Recent veterans, who are also, on average, among the youngest former service members, are four times more likely than non-veterans to deal with severe hearing impairment.
Why is The Risk of Hearing Loss Greater For Veterans?
Two words: Exposure to noise. Some professions are obviously noisier than others. As an example, a librarian will be working in a relatively quiet environment. Thet would likely be exposed to decibel levels ranging from a whisper (about 30 dB) to average conversation (60 dB).
For civilians who are at the other end of the sonic scale, like a city construction worker, the danger increases. Background noises you would periodically hear, such as the siren of an emergency vehicle (120dB), or continuously, like heavy city traffic, are hazardous to your hearing. Noises louder than 85dB (from power tools to heavy machinery) are prevalent on construction sites according to research.
As loud as a heavy construction site is, active military personnel are regularly exposed to much louder sounds. In combat situations, troops are subjected to gunfire (150 dB), grenades (158 dB), and heavy artillery (180 dB). And it’s not quiet at military bases either. Indoor engine rooms are really loud and the deck of an aircraft carrier can be as loud as 130 – 160 dB. Noise levels for aviators are high as well, with helicopters on the low end (about 95-100 dB) and most jets and other aircraft going above 100 dB. Another concern: One study revealed that exposure to some kinds of jet fuel seems to cause hearing impairment by interrupting auditory processing.
And as a 2015 study of hearing loss among military personnel aptly highlights, for the men and women who serve our country, opting out is not an option. So that they can complete a mission or carry out everyday activities, they have to bear with noise exposure. And although hearing protection is standard issue, lots of the sounds just described are so loud that even the best-performing hearing protection is not enough.
What Can Veterans do to Treat Hearing Loss?
Though hearing loss due to noise exposure is irreversible, the impairment can be alleviated with hearing aids. The loss of high-frequency sound is the most common form of hearing impairment among veterans and this kind of impairment can be treated with specialized hearing aids. Tinnitus is frequently a symptom of another health problem and although it can’t be cured, there are also treatment options for it.
In serving our country, veterans have already made lots of sacrifices. They shouldn’t have to sacrifice their hearing too.