New Book Spotlights Mass. Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School Hearing Expertise

An estimated 37 million Americans have a form of hearing loss, and as author David Owen notes in his new book, Volume Control, many don’t seek the treatment they need due to the cost of hearing aids and stigma associated with wearing them. “Hearing problems are often aggravated by the human tendency to do nothing and hope for the best, usually while pretending that everything is fine,” Owen writes.

In an effort to demystify the issues affecting hearing and inform people with hearing loss about the latest science and treatments, Owen, a writer at The New Yorker, visited Mass. Eye and Ear in 2018 to spend time with our faculty. He learned about the basic biology of the human ear and how sound damage is often caused by everyday appliances.

The book features interviews with experts and patients from Mass. Eye and Ear, including Drs. Brad Welling, Charlie Liberman, Sharon Kujawa, Albert Edge, Dave Jung, Stéphane Maison, Kevin Franck, and Meghan Reed.

Here’s more information on Volume Control, and coverage of the new book in NPR.