Conquering Hearing Loss: The 15 Best Stories from 2016

This has been a lively year for hearing health, filled with new developments, fascinating research, and motivating stories of people overcoming hearing loss to achieve great things.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the year’s 15 best stories.

1. Full Metal Racket

This post by New Republic was one of several posts published in 2016 emphasizing the prominence of hearing loss among veterans. Hearing loss currently represents the number one disability for veterans (topping even PTSD).

In fact, the Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that 60 percent of those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (around 600,000) have irreversible hearing loss or tinnitus.

Now that awareness has been raised, the military is working on developing helmets that minimize loud blasts while increasing surrounding sound.

2. When it comes to a challenge, she speaks the language

We’re fortunate to witness several stories each year about individuals overcoming hearing loss to achieve extraordinary things. But on occasion one story comes along that reminds us of what is possible with the right attitude and determination.

Caroline Aufgebauer, a high school senior, worked around her hearing loss to learn not one, not two, but three languages. She speaks English, Spanish, and Latin (earning special recognition for her performance on the national Spanish exam) and has a basic knowledge of German.

That, by the way, makes her trilingual in spite of a condition that makes speech comprehension very difficult.

3. 5 Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Hearing Loss

Shari Eberts is a hearing health advocate that has done amazing things for the hearing loss community by building awareness of the everyday issues facing individuals with hearing loss.

In one of her top articles on her website Living With Hearing Loss, Eberts identifies five things she wishes everyone knew about hearing loss.

4. ‘It’s going to get worse’: Nearly 30 percent of teens have hearing damage

This is one among many articles warning about the hazards of earbud use and the growing number of teens with hearing loss.

It’s estimated that 30 percent of teens have hearing damage caused by dangerous listening practices, but that most teens are not hearing the message.

5. AC/DC Postpone Tour As Brian Johnson Faces ‘Total Hearing Loss’

This story is a great reminder for musicians and concert-goers to safeguard their hearing during live performances.

AC/DC had to postpone its tour in the United States as a consequence of frontman Brian Johnson’s hearing loss. Doctors advised Johnson to stop touring right away or risk total hearing loss.

6. Pearl Jam providing earplugs at upcoming concerts to prevent hearing loss

In response to the escalating problem of developing hearing loss and tinnitus at live events, Pearl Jam supplied earplugs to fans at its concerts in a move that we hope catches on with other bands.

A number of musicians presently are dealing with hearing loss and tinnitus as a consequence of a lack of hearing protection at shows, including Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Ozzy Osbourne, Grimes, and Chris Martin.

7. Watch This Baby’s Face When the Doctor Turns on Her Hearing Aids for the First Time

We see quite a few of these videos each year, videos of a child hearing for the first time with the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants.

However this particular video was the most watched of 2016. See for yourself and try not to smile while you’re watching.

8. ‘Shark Tank’ star Daymond John: High-tech hearing aids changed my life

One of the most effective ways to raise awareness of hearing loss and eliminate the stigma of hearing aids is to have a well known public figure speak on the subject.

In this article, FUBU founder, Shark Tank star, investor, and best-selling author John Daymond discusses how he beat hearing loss and how high-tech hearing aids have enhanced his life.

9. The cool reason you won’t hear baristas shouting drink orders at this Starbucks

Starbucks has launched a new store dedicated to employing deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, as part of the company’s objective to increase opportunities for marginalized groups.

10 of the store’s 13 employees are hard-of-hearing or deaf. Employees communicate principally with sign-language, and customers without hearing loss can write down their orders on note cards.

10. Detecting Hearing Loss, Vertigo Via Blood Tests

This is a fascinating article reminding us of how aggressively technology advances.

Dr. Kourosh Parham, a UConn physician-scientist, has developed the first blood test that can recognize the inner ear proteins associated with inner ear disorders like hearing loss and vertigo.

Perhaps the early catching of hearing loss will soon be a standard component of the yearly physical exam.

11. How I ‘came out’ about my hearing disability

This inspiring story is about how photographer Kate Disher-Quill finally came to accept her hearing loss and embrace and love her hearing aids.

Kate’s project, Right Hear, Right Now, is designed to empower people to accept and embrace their differences. It’s something she wishes she had access to when she was younger, something that could have inspired her to accept her own hearing loss sooner than she did.

12. When silencing phantom noises is a matter of science

The search for the cure for tinnitus continued in 2016, with multiple encouraging developments.

Tinnitus is challenging to diagnose and treat, and the best treatments available now either cover up the sound or instruct the patient on how to deal with the sound.

But now researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered the first gene that might have the ability to prevent tinnitus.

13. Researchers identify part of the brain that compensates for hearing loss in older adults

As we find out more about how the brain processes and interprets sound and speech, we can start developing more effective hearing aids and more efficient training programs to help those with hearing loss to elevate speech recognition.

Stay tuned in 2017 for further developments in the fundamental area of speech comprehension.

14. What Is ‘Hidden Hearing Loss’? Scientists Detect Symptoms In Young Adults

Hidden hearing loss can be present even in young adults who can pass a standard hearing test.

Research is underway that can improve the precision of hearing testing and expose hearing problems in young people, with consequences including more effective hearing protection, better workplace noise guidelines, and highly targeted medical therapies.

15. 8 Rousing Reasons to Put a Hearing Test at the Top of Your “Done” List

And last, here are eight great reasons to get a hearing test, published by Better Hearing Institute. There’s no better way to begin the new year than by taking control of your hearing health and making the most of all of the benefits of better hearing.

What did we leave out? What were your favorite stories of 2016?