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Monday

Is It Time For Hearing Aids To Be Sold Over The Counter?
Kristen Uroda for NPR

Shots - Health News

Is It Time For Hearing Aids To Be Sold Over The Counter?

About 35 million Americans suffer some hearing loss, but most don't do anything about it. There's a growing effort to make hearing aids easier and cheaper to buy.

Is It Time For Hearing Aids To Be Sold Over The Counter?

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Wednesday

Think Your Hearing's Great? You Might Want To Check It Out

About a quarter of people between the ages of 20 and 69 have some hearing loss, typically from everyday noises like lawn mowers and music. vitranc/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

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vitranc/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Shots - Health News

Think Your Hearing's Great? You Might Want To Check It Out

About a quarter of adults who think their hearing is fine actually have some hearing loss, according to the CDC. And many of them are in their 20s. Activities of daily living are often to blame.

Think Your Hearing's Great? You Might Want To Check It Out

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Friday

Army's Smart Earplug Damps Explosive Noise, But Can Enhance Whispers

Sgt. Jessie Bacon uses the Tactical Communications and Protective System to relay information to his squad in Fort Bliss, Texas. About 20,000 of the devices have been deployed so far. Sgt. Betty Boomer/U.S. Army hide caption

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Sgt. Betty Boomer/U.S. Army

Shots - Health News

Army's Smart Earplug Damps Explosive Noise, But Can Enhance Whispers

Many combatants return from the battlefield with hearing loss. The U.S. Army has begun deploying a "smart earplug" system that can protect hearing without blocking crucial sounds.

Army's Smart Earplug Damps Explosive Noise, But Can Enhance Whispers

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Monday

Is Everybody Mumbling? Try A Hearing Test You Take On The Phone

A hearing test you take on your phone provides immediate, private feedback. George Doyle/Ocean/Corbis hide caption

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George Doyle/Ocean/Corbis

Shots - Health News

Is Everybody Mumbling? Try A Hearing Test You Take On The Phone

Testing your hearing is just a phone call away. Doctors hope a cheap, simple at-home test will encourage more people to get their hearing checked, and get help if they need it.

Is Everybody Mumbling? Try A Hearing Test You Take On The Phone

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Monday

New Hearing Technology Brings Sound To A Little Girl

Jiya Bavishi's auditory brainstem implant is helping her hear some sounds for the first time. Lauren Silverman/KERA hide caption

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Lauren Silverman/KERA

Shots - Health News

New Hearing Technology Brings Sound To A Little Girl

KERA News

Jiya Bavishi is one of a handful of children in the United States testing an experimental hearing device, a tiny implant in her brainstem. Jiya is now able to hear and repeat some sounds.

New Hearing Technology Brings Sound To A Little Girl

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Monday

Deaf Jam: Experiencing Music Through A Cochlear Implant

Sam Swiller and his dog, Sully, in their home in Washington, D.C. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo/NPR

Shots - Health News

Deaf Jam: Experiencing Music Through A Cochlear Implant

After swapping hearing aids for a cochlear implant, Sam Swiller's taste in music shifted dramatically, from grunge rock to folk. Now scientists are trying to improve how implants relay music.

Deaf Jam: Experiencing Music Through A Cochlear Implant

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Sunday

Remembering The Pioneering Audiologist Who Tested Hearing At Birth

For more than 30 years, Marion Downs pushed for newborns to be screened for hearing loss soon after birth. Marion Downs Center hide caption

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Marion Downs Center

Obituaries

Remembering The Pioneering Audiologist Who Tested Hearing At Birth

Until the early '90s, young children often weren't tested for hearing loss until they had already missed out on a critical period for learning language. Dr. Marion Downs was determined to change that.

Remembering The Pioneering Audiologist Who Tested Hearing At Birth

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Wednesday

Tuesday

Sunday

Hearing Aid Evolution Unveils What The World Sounds Like In '3-D'

Kathleen Raven, a health reporter, found out she had hearing loss when she was 5 years old. Jessica Horwitz hide caption

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Jessica Horwitz

Shots - Health News

Hearing Aid Evolution Unveils What The World Sounds Like In '3-D'

Health reporter Kathleen Raven found out she had a hearing problem when she was 5. She got her first pair of hearing aids in 1993, but as the technology improves, she's still learning new sounds.

Hearing Aid Evolution Unveils What The World Sounds Like In '3-D'

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Wednesday

Seeing Less Helps The Brain Hear More
iStockphoto

Shots - Health News

Seeing Less Helps The Brain Hear More

People who are blind from birth are often better than sighted people at processing certain aspects of sound. A mouse study hints at why: Even a few days in the dark helped "rewire" the auditory center of an adult animal's brain.

Seeing Less Helps The Brain Hear More

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Saturday

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close: Fans Risk Hearing Loss

The current record holder for loudest crowd in history are the fans of the Seattle Seahawks, who cheered so loud that they induced a mini-earthquake. But that level of noise can permanently damage fans' hearing. Scott Eklund/AP hide caption

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Scott Eklund/AP

Shots - Health News

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close: Fans Risk Hearing Loss

When fans of the Seattle Seahawks set the record for loudest crowd in history, they clocked in at 137.6 decibels, which is as loud as a jet engine during takeoff. Ear protection can prevent hearing loss, but even acoustics experts can have a hard time giving up the roar of the crowd.

Wednesday

Tuesday

Hearing Aids: A Luxury Good For Many Seniors

Basic hearing aids cost an average of $1,500 per ear. IStockphoto.com hide caption

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IStockphoto.com

Shots - Health News

Hearing Aids: A Luxury Good For Many Seniors

High costs and minimal insurance coverage may be keeping adults out of the hearing aid market. Private companies are trying to lower prices by selling the devices directly online, but specialists warn that comes with its own costs.

Hearing Aids: A Luxury Good For Many Seniors

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