Hearing damage ends classical career

Today we learned that renowned viola player, Chris Goldscheider, is suing the Royal Opera House for ruining his hearing and his career during rehearsals of Wagner's Die Walkure.

According to Mr Goldscheider, his hearing was permanently damaged by the brass instruments which he was immediately in front of. Information contained in court documents seen by the BBC say that the sound peaked at roughly 137 decibels. This is about the same level of noise that’s produced by a jet engine and is actually louder than most rock concerts which peak at around 120 decibels. The court documents go on to say that the noise "created an immediate and permanent traumatic threshold shift".

For many years the effects of being exposed to loud rock music have been known – with high profile stars including Pete Townsend, Ozzy Osbourne and most recently Brian Johnson all suffering hearing damage. But up until now, the problem hasn’t been as high profile amongst the classical music community.

For Mr Goldscheider the effects of hearing damage have been life changing. He’s given up his career as a professional musician and now has to wear hearing protection for everyday tasks like preparing food. But the most devastating of all, he can’t now listen to his 18-year-old son - one of the country's outstanding young French horn players.

Any sound that is loud enough and lasts long enough can damage hearing and lead to hearing loss. Long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss.

What can you do to help prevent hearing loss?

Noise induced hearing loss is almost entirely preventable if you use hearing protection. There are a wide range of specialised hearing protection products available for those that play and/or listen to loud music (whether it be rock, classical, dance or any other genre) on a regular basis.

Arlington Laboratories specialises in making custom-fit hearing protection for musicians and those that want to enjoy superior sound quality safely. To find out more go to Arlington Laboratories' website or call 01635 569346.

Take care of your hearing - if you’re exposed to high risk noise make sure you get your hearing checked at least once a year.