Use of Personal Listening Devices and Their Effect on Hearing among Young Adults of a North Indian City

Background: Prolonged exposure to high decibel sounds is one of the leading causes of hearing loss and has been related with use of personal music players by youngsters. Aim: to assess the use of personal listening devices (PLDs) among young adults and the association between intensity and duration of sound exposure from personal listening devices to hearing loss. Materials and Methods: 150 young healthy subjects (68 male, 82 female) were asked about usage of PLDs and complaints of Tinnitus and/or hearing loss. Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) was performed in all subjects to find the pattern of hearing loss. Results: Mild hearing loss in the form of bilateral Sensory-neural Hearing Loss (SNHL) was observed in 23.3% of subjects. Self-reported volume and duration of PLD use were significantly associated with hearing loss. All cases of bilateral SNHL always experienced tinnitus after PLD use while “Frequently experiencing tinnitus” was reported by 2.7%. Conclusion: PLD use seems to be associated with SNHL and the risk depends on loudness, duration and frequency of noise exposure. Key words: personal listening devices, noise-induced hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus