Public Health

Nearly 1 in 7 Americans ages 35 and older have bilateral hearing loss, and the risk of developing bilateral hearing loss increases exponentially after age 35.

About 1 in 140 people ages 18 to 34 have bilateral hearing loss, but this number increases to a little under 1 in 11 between ages 35 and 64, to over 1 in 3 among people ages 65 to 74, and nearly 3 in4 among people over 75. State programs for early detection of hearing loss in infants and newborns are well established and many states have school-based screening. However, routine hearing screenings for adults and public hearing loss education campaigns are largely nonexistent. Research shows such programs can be particularly beneficial among people ages 35+, in rural counties, and among those with challenging socioeconomic conditions.