The latest in hearing health

With an estimated 5% of the world’s population suffering from disabling hearing loss, there’s a good chance that you know someone who is hard of hearing to the point that it's disruptive to their lives. Hearing loss affects people of all ages. Whether it’s your friend, family member, or colleague, you may have experienced difficulties conversing with them, particularly in noisy environments.

The transcription services market has grown. In the U.S. alone, it was valued at $19.8 billion USD in 2019 and it’s expected to expand an estimated 6.1% annually through 2027. With COVID-19 having brought school, work and socializing online, it’s no surprise that more people are relying on transcription apps and plugs-in for their smart devices and computers.

There’s a misconception that those with hearing loss are retirement-aged or older, but it’s actually much more common. In the most recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study on the prevalence of hearing loss, considering all degrees of hearing impairment, researchers estimated that 1.57 billion people globally had hearing loss in 2019. That accounts for one in five people.

Since HeardThat’s launch in late 2020, we’ve been fortunate to grow a solid user base. Our deep learning algorithms proved to be useful to help people stay connected to their friends and loved ones in noisy areas. As parts of the world reopen, more people are returning to coffee shops, restaurants, sporting events and other social engagements that often occur in noisy environments. Our team is dedicated to continuously updating the HeardThat app so that it’s always relevant to those with hearing loss. As we see more activity on the app, we’re calling on you to help us improve our data.

As people flock to spend more time outdoors during the warmer months, we can expect noise levels to increase. Not only does this contribute to hearing loss, but it also affects those with mild, moderate and severe hearing loss by impacting their ability to participate in conversations.

[T]he CDC found that veterans are 30% more likely to suffer from severe hearing loss than those who haven’t served. Exposure to gunfire, blasts, and loud noises associated with equipment, tanks and aircrafts can cause everything from auditory processing issues (or understanding speech in loud environments) to severe hearing loss.

With the OTC Hearing Aid Act somewhat in limbo, there are a number of hearing assistive technologies available to the hearing impaired community, from wearables to our own HeardThat app.

2020 changed the ways in which we communicate. Very suddenly, in-person gatherings and celebrations shifted online, just as businesses went remote in most countries. With mass populations resolved to stay at home, we quickly learned that phone calls with friends, family and colleagues just weren't the same as face-to-face interactions. Video conferencing gained rapid popularity as a result. In fact, video conferencing apps saw 62 million downloads in just one week of March 2020, after lockdowns were put into place.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 466 million people suffering from “disabling hearing loss” globally. That’s nearly 5% of the world’s population. By 2050, they say more than 900 million people will have disabling hearing loss. No doubt hearing loss is a major issue, but because it often occurs gradually, many people don’t even realize it’s happening until it becomes severe. Until people see an audiologist, they simply don’t know what they’re missing.

Hearing aids aren’t just for older folks.

Announce your hearing aid with pride via a new emoji added to Unicode 12.0.