Hearing Impairment: Are you hearing a buzzing or ringing sound in the ears especially after going to a concert or party or other loud event. This condition is referred to as tinnitus and it normally last until the ears slowly readapt to normal levels of sound. Facing tinnitus or having to yell to be heard or both signs that the environment you are in is too loud.

Blasting the stereo once in while or attending a loud concert is common. But over time, too much experience to loud noise may lead to a disorder known as noise-induced hearing loss or NIHL. Personal music systems are among the chief reasons of NIHL among teens. Video games, television sets, movie theaters, traffic and some machines and appliances may also make the environment too noisy for the average person. In fact, many researchers believe that individuals are losing their hearing at much younger ages than they did just 30 years ago.

Additionally to noise-induced hearing loss, other types of hearing impairment might affect individuals during their teen years. Unlike hearing loss that is caused by noise, though, these types of hearing loss are not preventable.

Some individuals are born with hearing impairment – and kids and teens can lose their hearing for numerous reasons. If you do not know anyone who is deaf or hearing impaired, chances are you will someday. So, what causes hearing impairment and what it is like to live without being able to hear in a world full of sounds?