Hearing loss is common, affecting approximately 48 million Americans. But despite its prevalence, only one in five people who could benefit from hearing aids actually wears them. This means there are millions of people at risk of emotional, mental, physical and even economic problems related to going untreated.
Research shows that untreated hearing loss can actually impact your employment status and your yearly income. We review what the studies show below.
Employment Status
A report published by the National Institute of Health in 2015 found that people with hearing loss are almost twice as likely to be unemployed or underemployed than people with normal hearing.
This may be in part due to the fact that people with hearing loss are more than three times less likely to finish high school than those without. However, the researchers who published this report took into account educational attainment, along with age, sex and race, when analyzing the data. So while hearing loss may contribute to lower educational levels, it’s not the only cause of lower employment.
Yearly Income
A study published in The Hearing Journal in 2013 found that people with hearing loss who are employed make 25% less than people with normal hearing. For those with hearing loss, the mean wage was $23,481, compared to $31,272 for people without hearing loss.
“Those are pretty striking associations, but it obviously needs a lot more study before we can draw some hard conclusions about what it all means and, more importantly, what needs to be done about it,” expressed Dr. David Jung, coauthor of the study and fellow in otology and neurotology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
What Can Be Done?
It’s important to seek treatment for hearing loss when you first start showing symptoms to prevent the condition from impacting your career options or your income. As with other medical conditions, the sooner you seek treatment, the better your outcomes will be.
So if you’re having trouble hearing friends at the dinner table, be sure to call Western Montana Hearing and Speech to schedule a hearing test today.