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Its a day Staff Sgt. Ryan Kelly cant forget. The ringing in his ears wont let him forget.

While on routine patrol in Iraq, Kelly experienced a vicious attack when three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) exploded around him simultaneously in 2003. This hero lost part of his leg and much of his hearing during the assault.

I didnt feel my leg gone. What I remember is my ears ringing. Today, Staff Sgt. Kelly wears a prosthetic leg, but the ringing in his ears is still present.

It is constantly there, Sgt. Kelly said. It constantly reminds me of getting hit. I dont want to sit here and think about getting blown up all the time but thats what it does.

The condition is called tinnitus ringing in the ears and military medical personnel are seeing more and more cases of service men and women returning from Iraq or Afghanistan with this unrelenting condition. And according to the Department of Veteran Affairs, nearly 70,000 out of 1.3 million returning vets experience some residual hearing problem.

Ear Protection for Our Soldiers

The military provides ear plugs for the troops, thats not the problem. The problem is that many soldiers in the field wont wear ear plugs because it may prevent them from hearing sounds of potential danger nearby.

Unlike other wars, the battles in the hot spots of Iraq and Afghanistan flare up in an explosive flash. Much of the fighting consists of bombings, ambushes and fire fights, all of which occur in a split second. They [the troops] cant say Wait a minute, let me put my earplugs in, Navy captain Dr. Michael E. Hoffer explained. They are in the fight of their lives.

The sudden blast from an IED or incoming mortar and other weapons cause violent changes in air pressure that can rupture the ear drum and break bones in the ear. The numbers are staggering, said Teresa Schulz, a former audiologist with the Air Force, past President of the National Hearing Conservation Association and the author of a 2004 report titled Troops Return With Alarming Rates of Hearing Loss.

Is There a Solution?

The solution lies in technology, early diagnosis of hearing loss and on-going training of troops to keep ear protection in place.

The military is currently developing high-tech hearing protection devices that allow troops to hear through the earpiece, identifying any potentially dangerous sounds while still offering protection from high-impact blasts.

Further, diagnosis of hearing loss in the field, allows audiologists to take action quickly to mitigate the hearing loss as much as possible.

Finally, the military reports that it continues to train field troops in hearing loss and the dangers they face if they don’t wear hearing protection.

There is no cure for most hearing impairments. Theres no cure for Sgt. Kellys tinnitus an unseen war wound he’ll most likely carry for his lifetime.

Hearing loss is the number one injury reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. We can only hope that technology moves quickly to provide a protective device that allows troops to hear their surroundings clearly while protecting against the impact IEDs and other battlefield noise have on hearing.

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