Younger people have started walking into ENT clinics complaining of problems that older people normally face. They are not even working in factories where noise levels are expected to be high, which may justify their hearing impairment.
These youngsters are working in BPOs, some of them still in colleges and schools. “We are surely seeing more number of young people. What is common to all of them, as we discover, are excessive cell phone usage and listening to loud music using ear plugs,” says G. Sundhar Krishnan, of Krishna Eye and ENT Hospitals.
C. Jacinth, senior ENT surgeon in the city, adds that the hearing loss is premature, starting much ahead of the normal aging process. This is how it works – there are outer hair cells in the ear that are destroyed with high decibels. The sound waves brush these hair cells to produce electric currents that are then converted for human hearing. “When these cells die, certain frequencies are lost. Sound clarity is lost and over time, this leads to deafness.”
“Young people first come to the clinic complaining of dizziness. There is probably an underlying disease, but the link to high decibels is tenuous. It certainly enhances deafness,” Dr. Jacinth says. All this noise is in addition to the ambient noise in normal circumstances. In an ordinary office room, with the fan, A/C unit, and computers, it is likely to be between 60 – 70 decibels, he adds.
While the standards prescribed set the acceptable decibels at 55 in a domestic environment, the norms are hardly ever conformed to, according to him. Dr. Krishnan says that using ear plugs that go right into the ear is another main cause for deteriorating hearing. “These plugs go right into the ear, and over stimulate the middle ear and inner ear. With loud noise, this also leads to damage of the sensory organ,” he says.
Among BPO workers, he says, the damage is because they continue to use cell phones for long periods after the job. “This puts a lot of pressure on the ears. People who are forced to be in an atmosphere with high decibels need to take care of their ears,” he adds. Trying to spend some time in a silent room, or sleeping will help.
The inner ear has what is called a ‘temporary threshold shift' – it can sustain some damage for a short while initially. “Therefore, if they are able to smuggle some rest for the ears, hearing can recover to normal levels,” he explains.
