Because we’re a hearing technology company and our business is singularly focused on helping people hear the best they can, the statistic above — that hearing loss is the United States’ third most common chronic physical condition and is more prevalent than diabetes or cancer — isn’t surprising to those of us.
We’re plenty aware that hearing loss is common because we deal with it every day. We know, too, that it becomes even more common the older we get — with half of people 60-69 having hearing loss, two-thirds of us over 70 living with it, and four of every five Americans 85 and older dealing with hearing loss.
If there is any good news to glean from the CDC’s statistic, it’s that if you have hearing loss, you are definitely not alone. In fact, if you live in the U.S., your Facebook “hearing loss” group could have 44 million members* in it, if everyone with hearing loss joined.
More good news is that for most people, hearing loss is treatable and doesn’t have to make life harder or less enjoyable or prevent you from missing out. Today’s hearing aids — programmed and fit by an experienced hearing care professional — are designed to make hearing effortless again.
Even better, hearing aids like our Evolv AI, can also help wearers stay connected, keep physically and socially active, and maintain their independence thanks to sensors and apps that can count steps, measure social engagement, detect falls, stream phone calls and much, much more.
Finally, not only is hearing loss more common than you think, wearing hearing aids is, too. Millions of people wear them every day and rave about how great they sound and how they’ve changed their life. We just don’t notice them, because the best hearing aids are so small, so discreet and, today, everyone is wearing something in their ears, anyways.
Find out what noises you may be missing! Schedule an appointment today for a hearing consultation.
*Based on calculations using data from the CDC population projections for the US for 2021, and statistics from Goman, A.M., and Lin, F.R. (2016) Prevalence of Hearing Loss by Severity in the United States.