Right now, just like everything else, hearing health is equally affected by a change in lifestyle – thanks to the advancement in technology.
Roughly 466 million people in the world have hearing-related problems and by 2050 this number might come close to one billion (Source: Maktoob Media, 2019).
Taking this concern into account, experts have come up with smart hearing aids and hearing-assisting apps.
These are new technologies that are indeed groundbreaking and are enabling people to attend to their listening better than ever.
Go through this blog now that explores how these developments in hearing health can improve your life and help you stay connected with the world at all times.
Hearing Regeneration and Medical Innovation
Often people who’ve lost their hearing due to aging, prolonged exposure to loud noises, or even an illness are told that nothing can be done.
And once the delicate hair cells inside the cochlea are damaged, they are gone forever.
Scientists are working on finding ways to regrow the hair cells that allow them to better their listening health.
They are developing therapies that use stem cells and gene therapy to encourage the regrowth of these critical cells.
The data below shows that the global hearing aid market is expected to grow at a revenue of 13.2 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2032) of 5.7%.
The Overlooked Role of Ear Wax Removal
Sometimes, listening problems have a simple solution, and all of this can be fixed by simply cleaning excessive ear wax.
Excessive buildup of this wax can lead to more severe issues such as discomfort, and muffled sound, and even make hearing aids less effective.
Many people use cotton swabs to remove it, but not everyone knows that this only pushes the wax deeper and makes the problem worse.
But luckily, today we have easily available ear wax removal services that are quite beneficial, safe, gentle, and effective.
It’s a simple but necessary part of maintaining our hearing health, especially for people who use listening devices.
Smarter Hearing Aids
Modern hearing aids look like tiny computers and can distinguish between speech and the noise around you and adjust themselves automatically.
They can also connect to your phone, and some models can even translate different languages, making them useful for traveling and speaking foreign languages.
To hear sounds more naturally and in the way they are, cochlear implants use AI to make the sound clearer and enable the user to hear better.
Modern Protective Headphones and Earplugs
Modern protective headphones and smart earplugs protect our ears and allow a more natural listening experience without disconnecting us from our surroundings.
Electric protective headphones
These devices adjust the loud and harmful noise to an acceptable one, all by themselves, and they are an excellent choice for crowded places.
Some models have an option for Bluetooth connectivity, so you can use them to make calls, listen to music, or connect to other devices.
Smart earplugs
If you’re after compact hearing protectors that still pack a punch, then smart earplugs are for you!
Similar to previously mentioned devices, these also have the ability to monitor the surrounding sounds and deafen them as necessary.
Even though they block out unwanted noise, they still allow sounds like alarms or notifications to remain audible.
They are usually used by musicians and performers and can be ideal for your workplace and noisy and crowded environment.
Do You Know? In the year 1995, Oticon brought the first digital hearing aid to the world hearing aid.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Slight ringing in the ear is usually labeled as ‘tinnitus’, and for most, it can be extremely frustrating and exhausting.
It is even very hard for people suffering from it to focus, sleep, and enjoy themselves in silence.
For listening preservation, today we have virtual and augmented reality that are helping people manage hearing loss, tinnitus, and communication challenges.
Immersive Sound Therapy – In this therapy, VR headphones are used for “transporting” users into a calm and relaxing environment.
In that way, these customized sounds help to ease the ringing in the ear.
Mindfulness and Cognitive Training – A lot of VR programs feature guided meditation and breathing exercises.
Also, some techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy aid in developing a healthy response toward tinnitus.
Personalized Experiences – Every person experiences tinnitus conditions differently.
That’s probably why there are VR systems that can scan different sound signals and customize the therapy to the patient.
Seeing Sound – Wearing AR (augmented reality) glasses can actually help you see the sounds.
This helps you to be more aware of what is happening around you if you have problems with hearing.
Live Speech Transcription – Some AR devices can turn conversations into text that appears in front of your eyes.
Better Lip Reading & Sign Language Recognition – AI-powered AR tools can read lips and translate sign language into text or speech.
This is a really useful method of communication between deaf and hearing people.
These technologies represent the future of listening protection, allow people to enjoy sound safely, and lower the risk of hearing damage.
