Otitis media is the second most common health problem among preschool children, outranked only by the common cold.
Otitis media can cause temporary hearing loss and repeated episodes can damage hearing permanently.
Children as young as 4 weeks of age can be fitted successfully with appropriate amplification. Injury, illness or exposure to loud noise can cause hearing loss in adults. The loss may occur suddenly, or so gradually that it goes unnoticed until it becomes quite severe. Adults with hearing loss often withdraw from activities they previously enjoyed causing feelings of isolation, which merely enhances the problem. Increasingly sophisticated hearing aid technology and hearing rehabilitation can help people learn new ways to communicate effectively.