{"id":2088,"date":"2016-12-21T21:55:26","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T21:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pdxent.com\/?p=2088"},"modified":"2018-08-21T21:55:19","modified_gmt":"2018-08-21T21:55:19","slug":"addressing-military-related-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pdxent.com\/addressing-military-related-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing Military-Related Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hearing loss can affect individuals of all demographics, but there are certain risk factors that may increase your chance of developing a noise-related impairment. One notable factor is occupation. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 22 million American workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels. For combat soldiers, this phenomenon is even more relevant. The prevalence of hearing loss and tinnitus\u2014ringing in the ears<\/a>\u2014in military personnel make hearing disorders the injury most commonly sustained during combat.<\/p>\n

In recent decades, the Pentagon has taken some initiative to improve accessibility to hearing protection for combat soldiers. Retired soldier Stephen Carlson reported in The Washington Post<\/i> that mandatory forms of hearing protection\u2014ranging from over-the-ear headphones to noise-canceling earplugs\u2014were provided to soldiers, but rarely used in practice. A common explanation for this practice is survivability. Soldiers fear missing commands or being unaware of their surrounds in high-pressure situations.<\/p>\n

\"hearing<\/p>\n

Further discussions have been held at the governmental level to determine more effective solutions. In 2013, the Office of Naval Research began an initiative to find better hearing preservation alternatives. The organization met with experts in the industry of hearing health to discuss the future of hearing protection <\/a>research, which will be focused on:<\/p>\n