It is projected that by 2030 about 35 million adults in the US will have mild hearing loss, and nearly 20,000,000 will have moderate or worse hearing loss.
Adults with mild hearing loss often have difficulty understanding, speech on noisy settings.
Patients with moderate or worse hearing loss may have problems following conversations in a quiet room.
Untreated hearing loss is associated with social isolation that can have negative effects on the quality of life and increased risk of dementia.
Hearing aids are the main treatment for mild to moderate hearing loss, after excluding reversible causes such as earwax and potentially serious symptoms that should be evaluated by an audiologist and otolaryngologist, including sudden onset hearing loss, one-sided, hearing loss, persistent pain, or drainage, and the sensation of spinning.