Susan Lynn, AuD, licensed audiologist at Austin Medical Center, will perform free adult hearing screenings at AMC Tuesday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m.

We are inundated every day by noise — iPods, lawnmowers, snowmobiles, grain dryers, etc. More than 28 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss, and by the year 2030, that number is expected to soar to 78 million. Noise-induced hearing loss, which is completely preventable, makes up at least one-third of all hearing loss.  Also, 50 million Americans have tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, which can also be caused by loud noise exposure.

To encourage Minnesotans to take care of their hearing, the Sight & Hearing Association — a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing vision and hearing loss — is sponsoring free hearing screenings statewide. The goal of the day, proclaimed International Noise Awareness Day, is to educate the public about the dangers of noise to hearing and health.

You may have hearing loss if you:

Frequently ask people to repeat themselves

Often turn your ear toward a sound to hear it better

Understand people better when you wear your glasses or look directly at their faces

Lose your place in group conversations

Keep the volume on your radio or TV at a level that others say is too loud

Have pain or ringing in your ears

An annual hearing checkup is a good idea for people age 45 and up, according to Lynn, who specializes in preventing, identifying, assessing and treating hearing disorders. Lynn can prescribe hearing aids and assistive listening devices and can teach people with hearing loss and their families how to better cope with a hearing loss.

For more information on hearing or to schedule an appointment, call 433-9088.