While thousands of wounded warriors and veterans Faced with disabilities and injuries every day, the most common illness is often overlooked.

Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is the leading disability in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to Dr. Tom Tedeschi, chief director of audiology for Amplifon Hearing Health Care.

Utah-based Tedeschi, who is also a Vietnam Army veteran, shared with Fox News Digital how hearing loss and complications are part of the veteran community.

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About 60 percent of Vietnam veterans and 50 percent of Gulf War veterans suffer from hearing loss, the expert said.

Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is the most common disability in the VA today, according to an audiologist. (iStock)

“It’s estimated that probably one in three veterans suffers from some degree of hearing loss or tinnitus,” he said. “And that’s just because we’re surrounded by noise all the time… The army is not a quiet place.

Everyone’s hearing is different, Tedeschi said, with different sound levels affecting people in different ways.

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“For some people, if they hear a loud noise like a gunshot, it can permanently damage their hearing,” he noted. “Other people can put up with a lot of noise, and it won’t cause permanent damage right away.”

Different roles in the military will have different levels of exposure to loud sounds, Tedeschi said — but for some soldiers facing combat, even in peacetime, there’s a lot of “sustained” noise.

For some soldiers facing combat, even in peacetime, there’s a lot of “sustained” noise, the expert said. (iStock)

Although hearing protection is provided to military personnel, Tedeschi said they are not always “practical,” especially in active combat.

“Today there are more people under 50 suffering from hearing loss than there are over 50.”

When hearing is lost, it “doesn’t grow back,” expert warns — and even mild hearing loss in young veterans can get worse over time.

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“When we are young, we always believe that we are invincible and that hearing loss won’t happen… that it’s an ‘old people’ thing, which is not true,” he said.

“Today there are more people under 50 suffering from hearing loss than there are over 50.”

Care and protection

The biggest obstacle to solving hearing complications in veterans is recognizing the problem, according to Tedeschi.

“Most people with hearing loss don’t recognize it,” he said. “It’s the people around them who notice.”

Tedeschi urged veterans to seek help if they experience constant ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus, or difficulty hearing while chatting or watching TV.

Many young veterans mistakenly believe that hearing loss doesn’t occur until later in life. (iStock)

“We can’t cure (tinnitus) or make it go away completely, but there are different protocols and strategies to help,” he said.

That could include wearing hearing aids, which Tedeschi says are “light years ahead” of what they were a decade ago.

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Tedeschi stressed the importance of wearing proper hearing protection, such as headphones and noise-canceling headphones, both in and out of combat.

“We live in a noisy world,” he said. “If you’re mowing the lawn, you should put on hearing protection. A lot of people like to go to concerts…It’s loud and they can get damaged.”

Hearing protection should be worn during other noisy activities, such as mowing the lawn or attending a concert, experts advise. (iStock)

If you hear ringing after a concert or other loud event, it means your ears have been damaged, Tedeschi warned.

Although there is usually a recovery period, in some cases the damage can be permanent, he said.

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Certain medicationslike aspirin, can cause hearing loss as a side effect, Tedeschi warned.

“If you take a lot of aspirin to treat arthritis or similar problems, you should be careful and ask your doctor if there is an alternative,” he advised.

“It’s just a normal thing, like wearing glasses,” the expert said of using hearing aids. (iStock)

Tedeschi encouraged veterans to seek help to avoid further complications related to hearing loss, such as cognitive decline.

“We’re seeing more and more people with untreated hearing loss whose cognitive function declines more quickly because the brain is working overtime to compensate,” he told Fox News Digital.

“We are seeing more and more people with untreated hearing loss whose cognitive function declines more quickly. »

“For our veterans, you need to know that there is help for you, and you don’t have to go through all the comorbidities associated with hearing loss.”

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Veterans can visit their local VA center to have their hearing evaluated or connect with their counselor to be referred to a hearing loss specialist.