Gadgets, including mobile phones, earphones, headphones, high volume speakers, and televisions increase the risk of hearing loss in youth, medical experts said.
While speaking at the The Hindu-Naruvi Hospital webinar on ‘Gadgets in ENT’ on Sunday, panelists voiced concerns over the effect of modern technology. “Noise-induced hearing loss is a major neglected public health challenge, and requires advocacy for implementation of behavioural change,” Mary Kurien, Professor and Head, Department of ENT, Naruvi Hosptal, Vellore, said.
Dr. Kurien said it was important to identify early symptoms of ENT-related problems, and that listeners should be careful to not use ill-fitting personal audio devices. “No audio device should be used for too long. Audio devices should also be regularly cleaned and sanitised to avoid infection in the ear,” she said.
Usage of gadgets aside, sometimes, medicines, including antibiotics, anti-malarial drugs, diuretics, and cancer medicines; and conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol, obesity, infective meningitis, and measles, could also lead to deterioration in hearing, Dr. Kurien said.
When people used a cotton bud, it could damage the delicate skin of the ear canal, and may cause infection, earache and tinnitus, and they also risked puncturing the eardrum, Sadhana Chandrababu, practitioner in advanced audiology with the Powys Teaching Health Board, National Health Service (NHS), the U.K, said.
People should avoid long exposure to high decibel sounds, Vikram M., ENT consultant, Naruvi Hospital, said. “If you hear ringing or humming sounds in your ears when you leave work, or you have to shout to be heard by a co-worker at your workplace, realise that noise is a problem in your office and could affect your hearing in the long run,” Dr. Vikram said.
The webinar was the 13th in a series of 15 under the ‘Happy India Healthy India’ initiative presented by Naruvi Hospitals in association with The Hindu.
Published – June 23, 2025 01:49 am IST
