Unlimited calling, free talk time turning cellphone users deaf: Experts

Prolonged talking on mobile phone can affect the normal hearing capacity, said Dr Deepanshu Gurnani, head of ear, nose, throat (ENT), Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, Jaipur. 

On World Hearing Day on March 3, he said that with benefits like free talk time and unlimited free calling, people, especially youth, are excessively drawn to mobile phones. “Talking continuously for six to seven hours daily on mobile phone can affect the hearing capacity and cause damage to ears,” said Dr Gurnani. Even using earphones to can cause similar damage. 

He said that with Disc Jockeys (DJ), constantly exposed to loud music are the worst affected.

Dr Sunil Garg, head, ENT department, Apex Hospital in Jaipur said that around 8% of Rajasthan’s population is expected to be suffering from hearing infections, that can be either hereditary or due to exposure to noisy environment. 

He added that with the help of Shruti program, trained community health workers are reaching out to people living in different pockets of Jaipur to provide timely diagnosis. 

Shruti program is operational in 25 hospitals across 18 cities in India.In Rajasthan, the programme has been running since 2016 and is currently present in three sites. More than 61,000 people have been screened so far, out of which, 16,000 have been referred for treatment. 

Dr Gurnani said that people of Rajasthan suffer from hearing impairment, especially in rural areas, because of ear infections. People taking bath in ponds and lakes do not pay attention tow cleaning of ears. In urban areas, people should avoid using buds to clean the earwax. Earwax is a protective layer and does not cause any harm.

Dr Tarun Ojha, head ENT department, Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jaipur said that continuous use of earphones can lead to deafness in the long run. Apart from this, use of ototoxic drugs, including antibiotics, for long time, can cause hearing loss.