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              Health Information
              Hearing, Ear Infections, And Deafness
  
      Adult Hearing Health Care


If you think you might have hearing loss, knowing where to turn for help may be hard. Learn more about hearing health care for adults on this page, including how to tell if you have hearing loss and options available to help you hear better.
  The NIDCD is committed to improving hearing health care for adults and raising awareness about this public health issue. Approximately 37.5 million adults in the U.S. report some degree of hearing loss. For many, assistive technologies such as hearing aids could significantly improve their quality of life, yet only about one in four of those who could benefit from hearing aids has ever used them.
      
      Understanding Hearing Loss
                
Word bubbles displaying the words Do You Need A Hearing Test.
        
                  Do You Need a Hearing Test? Interactive Quiz
      Young female doctor smiling at female patient in doctor's office.
        
                  Who Can I Turn to for Help with My Hearing Loss?
      A group of friends share laughter over the contents shown on a tablet.
        
                  Age-Related Hearing Loss
      The screenshot of video illustrating how sounds travel from the ear to the brain, where they are interpreted and understood.
        
                  Journey of Sound to the Brain (video)
      Hearing Loss Study Infographic.
        
                  Hearing Loss Among U.S. Adults Aged 20 to 69 (infographic)
      An old woman closing her eyes and holding her right ear with her right hand.
        
                  Tinnitus
              Hearing Aids, Assistive Devices, and Technologies
                Young female doctor fitting hearing aid on older female's ear.
        
                  Hearing Aids
      Four older people chat at a table in a cafe.
        
                  Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
      Infographic: Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Use.
        
                  Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Use (infographic)
      Side profile of middle-aged male with cochlear implant.
        
                  Cochlear Implants
      Close up of keyboard key with 'Assistive Devices' written on it.
        
                  Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders
      Female watching TV with captions while sitting on sofa in living room.
        
                  Captions For Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Viewers
              Hearing Loss Prevention
                
A man demonstrating the correct way to use formable earplugs to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss.
        
                  Hearing Protection: How to Use Formable Earplugs (video)
      A man demonstrating the correct way to use pre-molded earplugs to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss.
        
                  Hearing Protection: How to Use Pre-Molded Earplugs (video)
      Young girl wearing headphones.
        
                  It’s a Noisy Planet. Protect Their Hearing®
      Photo showing Stereocilia perch atop sensory hair cells in the inner ear.
        
                  Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
      Formable foam earplugs.
        
                  Hearing Protectors
      A decibel scale showing at 0dB.
        
                  Listen Up! Protect Your Hearing (infographic)
    Last Updated Date:
      March 17, 2023
              Language
    
      EnglishEspañol

Related Topics

Accessible and Affordable Hearing Health Care Activities
	NIDCD-Funded Research Projects on Accessible and Affordable Hearing Health Care
	Hearing, Ear Infections, and Deafness
	OTC Hearing Aids: What You Should Know (FDA)
News
    
      Advancing access to hearing health care - NIH Director’s Blog (05/17/2022)
          Research drives changes to make hearing health care more accessible and affordable (05/05/2020)

    

  
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