Teens and hearing loss – Hearing loss is a growing public health issue facing teens due to pervasive earbud use and the growing noisiness of the world. I interviewed Raphael Michel, the co-founder and CEO of Eargo to find out more and to learn about teens and hearing loss statistics and modern day options to help those suffering from hearing loss.
Lisa LaGrou of Oakland County Moms – Why are people starting to experience hearing loss earlier? Are teens putting themselves at risk by listening to loud music or using headphones/earbuds? What about teens and hearing loss?
Raphael Miche, CEO of Eargo – Hearing loss is the 3rd largest public health issue in the US after heart disease and arthritis. If affects 48 million Americans and it typically due to aging. It’s a natural part of the aging process. It starts in your 30’s and develops over time. Now, what we’ve noticed is that people are starting to experience hearing loss at a younger and younger age. And, the reason is being exposed to loud noises, loud music… you know we live in a noisy society these days and between concerts, having ear buds in our ears all day long and listening to music all day long… that exposure to loud music and loud noises will accelerate hearing loss and make it happen at a younger and younger age, to the point where a study shows that 20% of teenagers aged 12-19 now have hearing loss. Imagine all of these young adults having to go through their entire lives with that health issue. It’s actually one of the reasons why I started Eargo was to develop really cool wearable technology to address that issue and to fit their lifestyle.
Lisa LaGrou of Oakland County Moms – Is it permanent damage, or are there any hearing loss treatments that can improve the condition?
Raphael Miche, CEO of Eargo – Typically, your hearing will degrade over time and hearing loss cannot be reversed. The good news is there are solutions out there to help with that and to help you hear better, such as hearing aids and hearing devices. Eargo is a very novel hearing device actually. If you look at what’s happened, and it’s happening in the US, there are 48 million people with hearing loss, yet only 8 million people do anything about it. So, 40 million people are actually experiencing hearing loss and they are not able to communicate effectively with others but don’t do anything about it. We work very hard at Eargo to make wearable technology that is pretty much invisible so no one can see you’re wearing it.
Lisa LaGrou of Oakland County Moms – Where can people go for more information on teens and hearing loss?
Raphael Miche, CEO of Eargo – For more information, we have a website. It’s Eargo.com. People can also call our customer care team at 1-800-61-eargo
About Raphael Michel
Raphael is the co-founder and CEO of Eargo. He is an international business leader with extensive experience as a medical device executive and as an entrepreneur. He received advanced training in Engineering, Business, and Management, with an undergraduate degree from École Polytechnique in France, a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, and an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.
For more info on teens and hearing loss, visit www.eargo.com.
