Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vocational School of Health Services held a "Hearing Health" seminar on March 3rd, World Ear and Hearing Day. Lecturer Ayşe Aydemir moderated the online seminar, where Audiometry Program Head Lecturer Yeter Saçlı was the speaker. Important evaluations were made during the seminar regarding hearing health, hearing loss, and early diagnosis.
“Early diagnosis is crucial in hearing loss”
In her speech titled “Hearing Health,” Lecturer Yeter Saçlı drew attention to the importance of March 3rd, World Ear and Hearing Day; “Graham Bell conducted many studies for individuals with hearing loss. For this reason, March 3rd, Graham Bell's birthday, was designated as World Ear and Hearing Day. Globally, 466 million people, including 34 million children, have hearing loss. In our country, there are over 1 million individuals with hearing loss. Hearing loss can have many causes. One of them is noise. Approximately one-third of hearing losses result from noise exposure. The vast majority of those experiencing hearing loss this way are individuals working in noisy environments. For hearing protection, it is a very effective method for employees in a noisy workplace to use ear protectors. Furthermore, as with every disease, early diagnosis is also very important in preventing hearing loss,” she stated.
“In-ear headphones can disrupt the natural secretion mechanism!”
Lecturer Yeter Saçlı stated that listening to music at high volume is quite dangerous for hearing. Saçlı, conveying that one of the most curious topics is headphone choice: “Material entering the outer ear with in-ear headphones can disrupt the natural secretion mechanism. If we have to use headphones, we should prefer over-ear headphones. With over-ear headphones, external sounds are heard less, so there will be no need to turn up the volume extra,” she said.
“Ear swabs are quite harmful and should not be used”
Saçlı, stating that ear swabs are quite harmful and should not be used: “By intervening without seeing inside the ear with these sticks, we push the wax further in and cause ear blockage. The ear has a self-cleaning feature. However, if there is excessive discharge, you can consult a doctor. If ears are exposed to water, you can clean them superficially with the help of a towel. The use of ear swabs can also trigger tinnitus. Tinnitus is an important symptom of hearing loss, but not every tinnitus is a precursor to hearing loss. With the diagnosis of hearing loss, it can be understood whether the problem is temporary or permanent. If the problem is temporary, medical treatment can be applied. In permanent cases, hearing aids should be used,” she concluded.