Hearing loss is declining. I am amazed.

I have about a fifty percent hearing loss in my left ear. I’ve had it since childhood—probably the result of measles. I first noticed it when I found I could barely discern words when listening on the phone with my left ear. Mostly it doesn’t bother me and I can hear OK. The only time it’s a problem is when someone is sitting on my left and talking. I have to swivel my head around and face them to hear clearly.

I’d been assuming that, what with amplifiers and all, young people would be losing their hearing as a result of listening to loud music. Prolonged exposure to noise above 85 decibels will damage your hearing. The threshold of sound perception is 10 decibels. The sound of leaves rustling is 30 decibels. A noisy restaurant is 70 decibels. Amplified rock music is 110 to 130 decibels—a rate that can damage hearing after 4 to 40 minutes exposure per day (depending on the decibels).

Here’s how the damage happens: sounds hit your eardrum and cause it to vibrate. The vibrations pass through the three small bones in the middle ear and are then transmitted to the inner ear where tiny hairs transform the sound vibrations into nerve impulses. It’s those tiny hairs that are damaged when exposed to excessive loud noise.

The researchers who collected data on hearing loss were as surprised as I was. They, too, expected the rate to rise. They are surmising that the decline in hearing loss is a result of the closing of loud factories, such as textile factories, immunizations to prevent measles, and reduced use of some medications that can cause hearing loss.

I can’t stand loud music and wear earplugs at Jazzercise. The young people like it loud. I still don’t understand why they’re not all deaf.

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