Researchers at UF have developed a way to safely create temporary, reversible hearing loss in order to observe possible prevention drugs.
The project induces temporary hearing loss in order to measure the effects of the drugs used for noise-induced hearing loss, said lead investigator and associate professor Colleen Le Prell.
The destruction of hearing-related hair cells in the inner ear by loud noise is irreversible.
Le Prell said noise-induced hearing loss is the second most common occupational disease.
“It is costing the [Veterans Affairs Hospital] more than $1 billion a year, so it’s a huge financial problem,” she said.
Jillian Roberts, advocacy chair for the UF chapter of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, said she thinks noise-induced hearing loss affects college students.
Le Prell’s model is the first to use controlled music levels to cause temporary hearing loss in human participants.
