A few years ago, I went for a hearing test. During the test, I had a bad feeling because I had difficulty listening to some of the sounds. The result: my hearing test was marginally passed.
Another bad news: I read from an article in the newspaper that the harm caused by exposure to loud noise is cumulative. That means my hearing problem can only get worse, not better.
I listened to songs using earpiece for at least six hours everyday during my school days (higher primary school and secondary school). My parents did not warn me about hearing loss at that time. When I read about hearing loss, I believe the damage has already been done.
I took some time to kick the bad habit of listening to songs using earpiece, starting from lowering down the volume, then slowly to not using earpiece. I listened to songs while doing homework. Thus, when I started working, without homework, I only listened to radio without earpiece.
A few years of peace until I got a job in a manufacturing plant where I needed to walk past the noisy production department to get to my department. No one will think that it is a big problem, since I am just walking past the area a few times in a day. So, no earplug to protect my ears. Furthermore, my ears have not been exposed to loud music for a few years, they should have “recovered”, right?
Steps to reduce the risks
No, they do not recover. My hearing test was marginally passed. What I can do now is to
1. Cover my ears whenever there is loud noise. Using earplugs to protect your ears is recommended.
2. Keep myself away from earpiece.
3. Keep every electronics device to lower volume.
4. Use speaker function on the phone if possible.
5. Avoid noisy environment if possible.
There is nothing I can do to reverse the damage done to my ears, I can only do my best not to hurt them anymore. If you read this post, please alert yourself and your loved ones on the risk of using earpiece and exposure to loud noise. Start as early as possible to protect your ears because the damage is irreversible.