PP701 - Video Gaming-Induced Hearing Loss

Primary Health care clinics in UAE receives several children from schools identified with abnormal School Hearing screening results.

Most of the students when interviewed during Audiology assessment state that they are not exposed to loud sounds but do use headphones for videogames. Videogames which include first person shooting games are very popular amongst children making them use headphones for extended periods. In this presentation, we will discuss the clinical presentation as well as an Audiologist role in early identification and prevention of recreational noise induced hearing loss in children, with recent published evidences.

Summary:

Rationale

The Audiology clinic in a Primary Health care setting receives several children mainly from schools who have difficulties in school performance to check their audition. This also includes students identified with abnormal School Hearing screening. A peculiar finding in the failed school hearing screening result is the absent responses at 4khz.

In literature it is well reported that even minimal to mild hearing loss can affect the academic performance as well as the attention span of school going children. Hence, early identification and prevention of this hidden hearing loss through community outreach awareness activities is the need for the hour.

Method:
This is a case study which comprises of 2 children with history of headphones use over extended periods of time, who were referred for diagnostic hearing assessment due to failure in hearing screening at school.

Results and Discussion

These 2 children were identified since they failed in the hearing screening as a part of school health check ups, where in they did not respond to 20dB tone at 4khz.In this case study it was noticed that the patients had high frequency hearing loss which notched at 4 khz  suggestive of Noise induced Hearing loss. One patient also reported of hearing intermittent tinnitus bilateral.

Summary and Conclusion

The Audiology clinic in a Primary Health care setting receives several children mainly from schools who have difficulties in school performance to check their audition. This also includes students identified with abnormal School Hearing screening. A peculiar finding in the failed school hearing screening result is the absent responses at 4khz.

In literature it is well reported that even mild hearing loss can affect the academic performance as well as the attention span of school going children. Hence, early identification and prevention of this hidden hearing loss through community outreach awareness activities is the need for the hour.

Most of the students when interviewed during Audiology assessment state that they are not exposed to loud sounds but do use headphones for videogames. Videogames which include first person shooting games are very popular amongst student population where in there is a live chat which is ongoing with their co players in network games, lucrative rewards, which tends to keep them more engaged and spend greater times online playing these games. Also the game designers have created the sounds very realistic such as gunshots and explosions to enhance the consumer experience. Hence, lost in this virtual world many abuse the use of headphones by keeping the volume higher to drain out the background noises at home; as well as to stay alive in competitive shooting games. In this presentation, we will discuss the clinical presentation as well as an Audiologist role in early identification and prevention of recreational noise induced hearing loss in children, with recent published evidences.