The impact of hearing loss may be decreased by future innovations.

Hearing loss is common in aging individuals.

For many, this can lead to distance in relationships as it is challenging to understand what your loved ones are saying.

It may also diminish enjoyment of beloved music, television shows, or movies.

I know, I have had hearing aids since leaving active duty in 1989.

According to a recent AARP article titled “Three Game-Changing Innovations for Those With Hearing Loss,” some advances in medicine and technology may provide some relief in the future.

Those with hearing loss may find some relief in the future.

What are some of these solutions in development?

Eyeglasses That Turn Speech into Subtitles.

Subtitles have been helping those who are hard of hearing view movies, television, and online videos for years.

Unfortunately, this benefit did not translate to everyday conversations.

Some eyeglasses and an app are in development now to allow for the transcription and projection of speech in real time.

Vuzix has released a set of these glasses to work with transcription software.

Although transcription apps and software have been in existence of years, these glasses provide an opportunity to allow for more natural face-to-face conversation rather than having to reference a screen for the subtitles.

An App That Lets You Hear Someone in a Crowded Room.

Crowd noise can be challenging for anyone to filter out.

It can be especially hard for those with hearing loss to focus on the voice of their friend or loved one.

I find busy restaurants to be the worst and large mixers, at least back when dining out and in-personal professional conferences were commonplace.

An app is being developed to allow you to separate a voice from the surrounding sounds and voices based on where you are looking.

The sound of the isolated voice would be delivered directly to the earbuds, cochlear implants, or hearing aids of the wearer.

It is estimated this software will be available within the next five years.

Drug Therapy That Regrows Cells That Help Your Hearing.

Drug research is common for many medical ailments.

One drug being researched would foster repair of damage to the inner ear.

Injections would be administers to those who developed or were born with hearing loss.

This drug may be specifically beneficial for those who have hearing loss caused by damaged or missing hair cells.

Although Eli Lilly, Frequency Therapeutics, Novartis, and Pipeline Therapeutics are currently conducting clinical trials on humans, most of the trials are still within lab testing stages.

With improvements in technology and scientific developments, those with hearing loss may find some relief in the future.

Reference: AARP (August 2, 2021) “Three Game-Changing Innovations for Those With Hearing Loss”