Washington: Most teenagers’ hearing ability is reduced after attending pop rock concerts, a study revealed.

But it added that the hearing loss is most of the times not permanent and comes to original level within 16 to 48 hours. It is called a temporary threshold shift and usually disappears after some time.

“Teenagers need to understand a single exposure to loud noise either from a concert or personal listening device can lead to hearing loss,” M. Jennifer Derebery, MD, lead author and physician at the House Clinic, said.

“With multiple exposures to noise over 85 decibels, the tiny hair cells may stop functioning and the hearing loss may be permanent,” Derebery said.

In the study, 29 teenagers were given free tickets to a rock concert. To ensure a similar level of noise exposure for the teens, there were two blocks of seats within close range of each other.

The seats were located in front of the stage at the far end of the venue approximately 15-18 rows up from the floor.

Following the concert, 53.6 percent of the teens said they did not think they were hearing as well after the concert. Twenty-five percent reported they were experiencing tinnitus or ringing in their ears, which they did not have before the concert.

The study has been accepted for publication in Otology and Neurotology.

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