Are You Deaf or What?

[metaldector]

How many old timer divers (over 10 years diving) are suffering a hearing lost? Can that hearing loss be attributed to diving? Some of my long term diving buddies wear hearing aids above water, speak in very loud voices, and jump a lot whenever someone approaches them from the rear. In other words they have reduced hearing. The question is, is this from diving? Any thoughts on this? :1poke:

 

[gj62]

Over 20+ years, and I still can't hear my wife - but that's always been a problem...

Seriously, I've noticed no worsening of my hearing...

 

[SDAnderson]

Lots of things cause hearing loss, some of them relate to scuba. A blown ear drum is going to affect your hearing, even if only slightly. Repetitive stress from equalizing is probably going to effect your hearing. Cold water has been implicated in bony outgrowths in the ear canal that can degrade hearing.

But so has having the stereo turned up too loud, the constant assault of urban noise levels, yadda, yadda.

My wife used to think I was going deaf, I got in trouble when she discovered that I was just developing selective hearing.

 

[pipedope]

I have hearing loss but working with loud machines and guns are more likely the cause than diving.

I don't thing that normal scuba is much of a risk to hearing but commercial diving can be, especially if doing lots of hard hat diving. Diving a hat is noisy and deco chambers are also very noisy.

I have only been diving since 1978 so I am just a young pup.

"Give me that Old time diving, it's good enough for me."

 

[Snowbear]

I have hearing loss but working with loud machines and guns are more likely the cause than diving.

I haven't been diving long enough to use that as an excuse, so I say it's sirens.

 

[beche de mer]

How many old timer divers (over 10 years diving) are suffering a hearing lost? Can that hearing loss be attributed to diving? Some of my long term diving buddies wear hearing aids above water, speak in very loud voices, and jump a lot whenever someone approaches them from the rear. In other words they have reduced hearing. The question is, is this from diving? Any thoughts on this? :1poke:

Your impression is most likely correct. It's generally considered that long-term divers have a degree of hearing impairment. There are not a lot of studies looking at the subject, but the following extract refers to one:

http://www.scuba-doc.com/LTE.htm

"It has been widely theorized that deafness is more prevalent in divers. To prove this hypothesis, Molvaer and Albrektsen[10] and Talmi[11] conducted audiometric examinations in divers and age-matched controls. The divers demonstrated greater hearing loss in both studies compared to controls. Another study by Molvaer[12] found that at most frequencies, divers had higher hearing thresholds (more hearing impaired) than otologically normal subjects of the same age at both the first and final examinations. It appears that in this study, the divers' hearing deteriorated faster than that of the non-divers. Some of the divers were known to have suffered permanent hearing loss from acute barotrauma. Molvaer concluded that professional diving may cause a more rapid deterioration of high-frequency hearing than that seen in a standard population. He found that smoking potentiates this risk of high-frequency hearing loss. Molvaer[13] has also found that divers are at risk for long-term cochlear-vestibular damage, which is responsible for high-frequency hearing loss. "


It's postulated that recreational divers suffer cumulative trauma to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) causing thickening. It has been postulate that there might be a degree of hyperbaric osteonecrosis (bone erosion) of the ossicles, the little bones in the middle ear, which conduct the sound from the ear drum to the auditory nerve.

It is postulated that commercial divers work in an occupational setting with high ambient noise (pressurisation of chambers, underwater power tools, seals blowing out) and suffer a degree of nerve deafness.

 

[beche de mer]

... and jump a lot whenever someone approaches them from the rear. :1poke:

A particular trait amongst ex-Navy divers. :15a:

 

[Gary D.]

YOU'VE GOT THAT RIGHT. TYPE LOUDER, I CAN'T SEE WHAT YOUR SAYING!

A particular trait amongst ex-Navy divers. :15a:

Over 40 years of very active diving and like GJ62 I can still hear my wife, when I want to.

Hearing is selective but just fine.

Gary D.

 

[AmyJ]

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but wondering are there any medical concerns for a deaf diver (like regarding inner ear formation or lack there of). My daughter is deaf and we would like to know if there will be problems before we encourage her (although she has a few years yet!). Thanks

 

[Gary D.]

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but wondering are there any medical concerns for a deaf diver (like regarding inner ear formation or lack there of). My daughter is deaf and we would like to know if there will be problems before we encourage her (although she has a few years yet!). Thanks

Check with your docs to male sure.

Normally Deaf divers make very good divers. They can hold a conversation just as well on a dive as they can at home.

Go for it..

Gary D.