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Exposure to loud music for long
hours in discothe-causes hearing impairment, according to experts. Hearing
impairment is a full or partial decrease in the ability to detect or understand
sounds caused by a wide range of biological and environmental factors.
"Too much exposure to loud noise can lead to a condition known as noise-induced
hearing loss (NIHL)," said Sir Ganga Ram Hospital's consultant ENT surgeon Dr AK
Lahiri. He was speaking at seminar on "hearing loss in children, detection and
rehabilitation" in Ahmedabad organised by Widex India - a manufacturer of
digital hearing aids. Hearing in children is as high as one in every one
thousand children. "In India, around 10,000 children are born with hearing
impairment every year. If people are made aware and the treatment is given at
the early age, this can be treated," said TS Anand, managing director of Widex
India.
The digital hearing aids market in India is estimated to be around Rs 40 crore
and it is expected to grow at a rate of 15% each year. "With a market share of
over 60%, Widex is the largest-selling brand in the hi-end digital hearing aids
market in India. These hearing aids are priced between Rs 12,000 and Rs
1,20,000," said Anand.
The demand for audiologists who can detect and treat impairment is high in the
country. Country requires around 30,000 audiologists every year.
However, the institutes churn out only 600 every year. Widex plans to set up its
Institute for Speech and Hearing in Chandigarh to train audiologists. "The
institute will offer Bsc and Msc degree course in audiology and around 30
students will be admitted annually. The institute will begin its operations from
2008," said Anand.
(Ref: The Economic Times dated
August 9, 2007)
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