Hearing damage most common disability in Canadian Forces and a prevalent disability amongst U.S. veterans.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are on the higher side of health disability conditions claimed among military veterans at both the Canadian Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
- In the U.S. (2016), there were 1.6 million disability compensation recipients for tinnitus and 1.1 million compensation recipients for hearing loss.
- In addition, many Veterans who score normally on hearing tests have trouble understanding speech. This condition, auditory processing disorder or central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is often associated with blast exposure.[1]
Self-reported hearing problems are more prevalent in CAF Veterans than the general population, prevalence varies considerably with the measurement instrument used. Veterans who did not have disability benefits for ear diagnoses reported hearing problems.
L'auto-déclaration des problèmes auditifs est plus prévalent chez les vétéran(e)s des FAC que chez la population générale, et, la prévalence varie considérablement avec les instruments de mesure utilisés. [2][3]
It wasn't until recent screening that I realized that I too had suffered mild hearing loss as a result of military service. I have mild hearing loss in my right ear, makes sense. Go figure. It is mild and has not precluded me from rejoining the reserves (specific loss at a specific frequency.) However, it does play a role in making some business meetings difficult, in certain environments. Conference calls and voice chat are the worst. My colleagues and family have become used to me cupping my ear in order to make out what they are saying. This is especially true if there is a lot of background noise.
I'm not sure about the rest of you but this is what I was given for ear protection. Standard issue industrial ear plugs.
My old issued ear plugsDon't ask me why I still have them. I binned them after taking that shot. Probably a safety hazard now. I might consider a custom pair. What the U.S. is doing is pretty cool. Balancing the protection of your hearing and maintaining situational awareness is sometimes a hard choice.
It sounds like the U.S. is taking it a step further and have been working on a new system for the past several years. They have been developing and deploying an electronic headset called TCAPS, Tactical Communication, and Protective System.[4]
"The louder the sound outside gets," he says, "the more it turns down the volume. The person wearing the device can still hear the sound, but it's never going to get so loud that it's going to be damaging." Similarly, the device can increase the volume of soft sounds.
Check out these two videos
I hope this system becomes general equipment for all. Protecting hearing and allowing the performance improvements with this type of system is a huge step in the right direction. I probably won't see it before I hit the CRA. Hear's hoping (see what I did there?)
(Main image: Pixabay)