Are you searching for some facts and statistics to finally get a family member or friend to have a hearing test or be fitted for a hearing aid? People often avoid seeking help for hearing loss, but chatting with them about the causes, effects and prevalence of hearing loss can help. These basic facts and statistics may help you convince a loved one that it’s the perfect time to schedule a hearing test:

• Women are less likely to have hearing problems than men.
• Of those aged 65 and older, approximately 13% experience tinnitus – a ringing in the ears.
• Over the past 30 years, the number of Americans with hearing loss has approximately doubled.
• Approximately 36 million people in the US have some type of hearing loss, which is almost one out of every 5 people.
• Of the people who could really benefit from using a hearing aid, just one out of 5 people wears one.
• Ten million people have permanent loss of hearing because of noise, and 30 million more are exposed to damaging noise levels every day.
• Of the 12 million Americans with tinnitus, 1 million have it so badly that it disrupts everyday activities.
• Approximately 26 million Americans aged between 20 and 69 suffer from high frequency hearing loss caused by recurring exposure to loud noise either on the job or during leisure activities.
• Hearing loss categorization studies state that 5% of cases are severe, 30% moderate and 65% are classified as mild.
• Those with hearing loss wait approximately 10 years before doing anything about it. Don’t let this be you!