Excessive Use of Earphones is Causing Hearing Loss in Pakistan

Experts believe that the continuous use of earphones and headphones is one of the major causes of hearing loss in Pakistan besides noise pollution.

“Noise pollution is a primary cause of hearing loss, affecting around 450 million people globally,” said Professor Atif Hafeez Siddiqui, an ENT specialist, while speaking at an awareness session on the occasion of World Hearing Day 2022 at the Dow International Medical College, Ojha Campus.

The professor noted that excessive use of hands-free and headphones is resulting in hearing loss in people of all ages, especially in developing countries like Pakistan.

Civil Hospital Karachi Medical Superintendent, Noor Muhammad Soomro, Dow Medical College Principal, Saba Sohail, and ENT Ward Head at Ojha Campus, Prof. Zeba Ahmed, also addressed the gathering.

Prof. Siddiqui noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had forced a majority of people to work from home, adding that people working online are more likely to suffer from hearing loss.

“Online workers are advised to take a 10-minute break every hour during work,” he said, adding that the use of hands-free and headphones was more dangerous for hearing than loudspeakers.

“The hands-free microphone keeps all the attention in one direction, putting constant pressure on the hearing as there is no pause,” he said.

The professor added that people in Pakistan who are affected by noise pollution do not get an immediate diagnosis, which results in gradual hearing loss.

Other participants remarked that human-invented machines had facilitated humans on the one hand and increased noise pollution on the other.

“While other countries have reduced this pollution by setting strict standards, in countries like ours, noise pollution is increasing instead of decreasing,” Principal Dow Medical College, Saba Sohail, said.

She highlighted that noise pollution in Karachi was very high at the Tibet Center and added that hearing the sound of a motorbike without a silencer or aerial firing could unexpectedly affect hearing.

She stressed the need for large-scale public awareness campaigns so that people could understand that hearing loss was a major problem.