Hearing Loss and How It Affects Driving Safety

TEXAS. According to Vox, every year, approximately 66,000 Americans are struck by sudden deafness. For many of these Americans, what they first think is wax or water stuck in their ears, turns out to be something far more serious. The condition is known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Unfortunately, some people who are risk of developing this condition may not be aware of their risks. Furthermore, hearing loss can impact all areas of a person’s life, from their ability to drive safely to their ability to engage in regular work and life activities.

Early treatment can sometimes give doctors time to reverse the hearing loss. However, because some people might mistakenly believe that there’s just water in their ear or impacted ear wax, they may delay getting the treatment that they need. Any sudden hearing loss should be immediately investigated by a doctor. So, if you notice ringing in your ears, or if you lose hearing in one ear, you may want to get your ears checked out. Caught early, the hearing loss can sometimes be revered with steroid treatment.

Why do people develop sudden hearing loss? Some doctors believe that it occurs due to a virus, while other doctors blame it on lowered blood flow to the inner ear.

How can you tell the difference between hearing loss and a blocked ear? According to Vox, one sign of a blocked ear is when you can hear your voice loudly in the blocked ear, but have trouble hearing things coming from the outside. However, if you can hear your voice better in the good ear, you might want to get checked out by a doctor.

According to the National Institute on Deafness, there are many different causes of this kind of hearing loss. Some believe it can be due to head trauma, infection, autoimmune disease, blood circulation issues, or disorders of the inner ear. However, in some cases, the causes of sudden deafness are never discovered.

If you have hearing loss, it is important to consider how it can impact your driving. While deaf drivers can safely operate a motor vehicle, they often use adaptive technology to help alert them when emergency vehicles or sirens are nearby. Whether you’ll need adaptive devices to help you while driving will depend largely on the severity of your hearing loss. However, it is important to speak to your doctor, just to be safe.

Elderly drivers can be safe drivers, but as individuals get older, and as hearing changes, reaction time slows, and memory fades, drivers and their families should be aware of the risks and be ready to find alternatives to driving when the time comes.

It can be tough to know when it is time to stop driving. The Cooper Law Firm are personal injury lawyers in Texas who work with victims who have been hurt due to the negligent actions of another driver. The fact is, our choices behind the wheel matter, and they often impact others on the road as well. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a crash, our firm may be able to help you seek damages for your losses. Visit our firm at https://www.cooper-law-firm.com/ to learn more.

Cooper Law Firm
501 N Third St,
Longview, TX 75601
Telephone: (903) 297-0037