Hearing loss is the most common physical disability in the United States. In the U.S. alone, about 28 million people have some level of hearing impairment that interferes with their ability to understand normal speech and participate in conversations. Another 2 million are profoundly deaf, unable to hear at all. Age is the most common risk factor in developing hearing loss. That percent and the severity of the loss increases with age.
Conversations become more and more difficult to follow.
Doorbells and telephones go unanswered. But hearing loss is not just an old person's condition. A recent nationwide study that tested 6,166 children aged 6 to 19 projected an estimate of 7 million children with some hearing loss. Many experts believe that estimate is too high and place the figure at less than half that. There are two major types of hearing loss.