Using earphones? Better get your ears checked

Bangalore: High-frequency hearing loss that was seen only in those above 50 years of age is today affecting children, teens and especially BPO employees, who use head phones for long hours.
The urban populace is all the more vulnerable, thanks to the high decibels, say specialists.
“This form of hearing loss is not noticeable till it becomes severe,” pointed out Supriya Sharma, an audiologist, stressing on the importance of early screening.
A group of experts intend to begin conducting screening programmes for school children in the city.
Screening for dental problems and other physiological problems are common. However, it isn’t so for speech and hearing issues. This is a neglected area. These are complex and treatment is a task for more than one specialist.
“Any communication impairment requires a team of therapists, pathologists, and physiotherapists. In the city, they are not available in a single facility. The hospital environment is completely different with all kinds of treatment being made available,” says Preeja Balan, a speech therapist at the new facility called Octave, which will be inaugurated in a few days.

Balan is one of the four PhD holders working here.
“There are very few PhD holders in the country, probably less than 50. Of these, many choose to go into academia, research. Few come into the clinical setup,” said Vani Rupela, who specialises in the speech aspects of the disorder, Apraxia.
She added that there is a dearth of genuine high-quality services. Those in need of help go on to the Internet to look for specialists. However, not all of those advertising themselves online may be well qualified.
“There could also be instances of patients getting cheated through these online mediums,” she said.
The team of seven speech language pathologists also plans to go to rural areas to conduct hearing screenings, distribute hearing aids, etc.
“We are also planning to get into research and conduct training programmes for teachers and parents on how to identify language problems,” Balan said.

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