Thread: Dont take hearing protection lightly

Some little snippets for you:

- ACC only covers hearing loss from occupational exposure, not recreational shooting. The only exception to this is if you cop a one-off "accidental" event like a mate letting his big banger off very close to your ear.

- Tinnitus is not caused by excessive wax. It is an expected side effect/symptom of inner ear ( sensorineural) damage.

- You can't measure the true level of firearms noise with basic sound level meters. They will significantly under-estimate the peak level which correlates with the risk

- Noise alone will only damage high frequency hearing. You can still hear rumbling stuff at distance well but voices sound muffled/mumbly and you will be in serious trouble in noisy social situations.

Yes, decent hearing aids help but can never come close to replacing what you were born with, especially in background noise.

In case you're wondering, I'm a near-retired clinical audiologist who has fitted tens of thousands of hearing aids..