So, two weeks ago my mother finally experienced her first (and I'm guessing last) range trip. She, her two sisters, and their three husbands hit a public, outdoor range near their home in Lakeland, FL. Dad brought his Jungle Carbine, but everyone else brought their handguns (I love my family )
After setting up targets and confirming eyes/ears, my aunt stepped to the line with her .357.
My dad, a retired Army combat pilot, assumed Mom knew how to use foam plugs and had correctly inserted hers. Bad assumption. With the first shot, Mom squealed and felt like her eardrums had popped.
They figured out that she hadn't properly inserted the plugs, and so rustled up some wax earplugs and a set of cans for her.
Fast forward two weeks and she still is experiencing profound hearing loss in her left ear, with auditory input to the right ear "sounding like Donald Duck".
She finally got in to see the audiologist at the ENT today, who gave her some pretty horrendous results (IMHO).
To whit:
Pure Tone Test
Right ear 30dB @ 250Hz to 80dB @ 8k Hz
Left ear...60 to 65dB
SRT right ear 45dB
Left ear. 60dB
WR. Right ear 92% @ 75 dB
Left ear. 56% @ 85dB
Anyone who understands a little about audiology knows that these numbers SUCK. Especially given that she had always had very acute hearing while I've worn hearing aids since I was 10 due to congenitally "low-normal" hearing acuity.
She goes back in on December 2nd to consult with the ENT doctor.
What blows my mind is that there could have been enough pressure to do such extensive (permanent?) damage.
Has anyone heard of something like this happening? Experienced it? Have sufficient medical background to know if older ears are more likely to be damaged by loud noises??
Parameters
Mom: 72-year-old female
Range: Outdoor
Shooting position: covered, standing
Distance from discharge: 5-6 feet, to the right side, slightly behind, left ear toward discharge
Round: .357 Magnum
Firearm: 3" Revolver
Thanks in advance for your insights!
After setting up targets and confirming eyes/ears, my aunt stepped to the line with her .357.
My dad, a retired Army combat pilot, assumed Mom knew how to use foam plugs and had correctly inserted hers. Bad assumption. With the first shot, Mom squealed and felt like her eardrums had popped.
They figured out that she hadn't properly inserted the plugs, and so rustled up some wax earplugs and a set of cans for her.
Fast forward two weeks and she still is experiencing profound hearing loss in her left ear, with auditory input to the right ear "sounding like Donald Duck".
She finally got in to see the audiologist at the ENT today, who gave her some pretty horrendous results (IMHO).
To whit:
Pure Tone Test
Right ear 30dB @ 250Hz to 80dB @ 8k Hz
Left ear...60 to 65dB
SRT right ear 45dB
Left ear. 60dB
WR. Right ear 92% @ 75 dB
Left ear. 56% @ 85dB
Anyone who understands a little about audiology knows that these numbers SUCK. Especially given that she had always had very acute hearing while I've worn hearing aids since I was 10 due to congenitally "low-normal" hearing acuity.
She goes back in on December 2nd to consult with the ENT doctor.
What blows my mind is that there could have been enough pressure to do such extensive (permanent?) damage.
Has anyone heard of something like this happening? Experienced it? Have sufficient medical background to know if older ears are more likely to be damaged by loud noises??
Parameters
Mom: 72-year-old female
Range: Outdoor
Shooting position: covered, standing
Distance from discharge: 5-6 feet, to the right side, slightly behind, left ear toward discharge
Round: .357 Magnum
Firearm: 3" Revolver
Thanks in advance for your insights!