When required to respond, they often give an answer to what they guess the other person has said, even though the embarrassment of giving a ludicrous answer can be far greater than that of wearing a hearing aid and asking others to face you and talk more slowly. Another reason for unawareness is that hearing aids are often hardly noticeable, especially if hidden by long hair. Purveyors of hearing aids contribute to the shame of hearing impairment. Some of them advertise that their instruments are so small they can hardly be seen. Why people will wear glasses that wrap from ear to ear across the whole front of their faces, but refuse to wear unobtrusive hearing aids, is beyond me.
Impaired hearing is more prevalent than poor eyesight.
One third of those who are older than age 65 are hearing impaired. However, it is not a problem just for ancient citizens. Many middle-aged people, young adults and even children have hearing loss, sometimes severe. More than 5 million people wear hearing aids. Even so, the average person waits seven years after signs of hearing loss appears before doing anything about it.