Custom Hearing Protection
How Often Are You Exposed to Loud Sounds?
If you are regularly exposed to loud noise, whether due to your work or through hobbies such as shooting or music – you should be aware of the profoundly negative impact that loud exposure to noise can have on your hearing.
Exposure to an intense “impulse” of sound can cause what is referred to as a “noise induced hearing loss” and can lead to tinnitus – but continuous exposure to loud sounds over an extended period of time can also have the same consequences.
One of the solutions is to wear hearing protection to reduce the level of sound that your ears are exposed to.
There is a wide selection of hearing protection options on the market, from simple ear-plugs to custom-made digital electronic solutions purposely created by some of the world’s leading hearing care manufacturers.
How Do They Work?
‘Attenuation’ is the term that is used to describe the level in which hearing protection reduces the sound you’re exposed to – this is measured in decibels (dB) or through single simplified noise-level reduction (SNR).
Most industry-standard ear-plugs carry an SNR of around 30db, but each particular product will show their own level of attenuation depending on different frequencies, which is listed on the packaging.
One of the biggest problems with the SNR reading is that they are often measured in perfect testing environments with brand new hearing protection, not taking into account the real-life exposure to sound on regularly used devices. This calculation also allows a lot of room for error, since every ear canal is different.
What Options Are Available Over The Counter?
It’s important that you select the right earplugs to give yourself enough protection. Your choices should come down to two factors, whether you currently have a recognized hearing loss and how loud the sounds that you’re exposed to are.
At the very least, our recommendation as hearing specialists is to ensure that their SNR figure is at least 20dB and that the earplugs are designed for hearing protection.
That’s because, many over-the-counter earplugs that you’ll find in your local store are designed for activities such as swimming, to help sleep quality and reduce background noise – not to protect against excessive levels of noise.
Is ‘Custom Hearing Protection’ Right For Me?
Custom-made hearing protection solutions are designed and crafted solely for you, created to perfectly fit into your ear canal and protect your hearing against the activities or workplace environment where you’re exposed to sound.
The device is created by taking an impression of your ears, they’re then fitted with one of many different styles of filter.
These sophisticated filters can reduce noise at specific pitches for musicians or serve as in ear monitor devices, and some can even open and close to protect you against a sudden loud noise like shooting, while still allow you to have conversations between shots with your buddies.
They’re also long-lasting, more hygienic and easier to clean than many of the cheaper options on the market, resulting in them being the better solution over a sustained period of time.
How We Can Help?
If you would like to explore the range of custom hearing protection available to you, then your first step is to schedule an appointment.
We will be able to understand the levels of sound exposure that you’re hearing, demonstrate the selection of hearing protection available and answer any questions that you may have.
Our obligation is to help you protect your hearing because we know that if you don’t take the precautions today, then we’ll only end up seeing you several years down the line when your hearing has suffered.