Uplifting News @lemmy.world alphacyberranger @lemmy.world 8mo ago

11-Year-Old Boy Hears For the First Time as Scientists Get Closer to Finding a Cure for Hearing Loss

www.headphonesty.com 11-Year-Old Boy Hears For the First Time as Scientists Get Closer to Finding a Cure for Hearing Loss

A once impossible cure for deafness is coming, thanks to gene therapy.

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“There’s no sound I don’t like…they’re all good.” he shares in an interview with the New York Times.
- Awwwwwwww
- They haven’t introduced him to bagpipes yet.
Does it include tinnitus as well?
- No kidding. Would love to finally experience actual silence for a change.
  
  Did you every try that temporary fix with your hands and the finger snapping?
- They'd have to actually figure out what causes it to begin with, first. They can look at 100 people that were around loud noises that damage ears and often cause tinnitus, but couldn't tell you why 50 of those people would have ringing, while the other 50 don't. Let alone the people who have it without being around damaging noise. Or how I went deaf in one ear from nerve damage but have no ringing, even though most people who go deaf from nerve damage do have ringing.
- As I lay here listening to the ringing in both my ears… I sure damn hope so.
  
  Well don’t listen to it damn
- I followed my doctor’s advice and decided not to freak out about my tinnitus, and it doesn’t bother me at all.
- This was my very first thought and question too. I’m so hoping it does.
- IIRC there's a few novel treatments (one using electro simulation of the tongue) and some new studies on the cause of tinnitus (auditory nerve overcompensating) that may lead us towards a cure.
  
  Would have to do some digging to find those sources though.
I cannot fucking wait for hearing loss to be something we completely, 100% tackle. I want to listen to LOUD ass music, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, but if I do, I'll lose the ability to hear it.

So I'm currently trying to figure out if this product that straps bass-speakers to your chest might help my obsession. :D
- You might be forgetting that as you lose your hearing, you just get to listen to music LOUDER and LOUDER.
  
  eeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ^EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
  
  And the TV too!
- I feel like a device like that may have the potential to interfere with the rhythm of your heart
  
  Fuck it give me a new heart too.
  
  That seems like a wild assumption to make. The heart beat is regulated by electric pulses, i dont see why a thumping bass would have any effect on it
I remember reading before how getting your hearing repaired through surgery (when possible) can get you ostracized from deaf communities. Some consider their deafness to be part of their identity, and regaining your hearing can be treated as sacrificing your identity/heritage.
- Lol I'll trade the ability to hear for the cost some judgemental deaf people jealous of me. What are they gonna do, sign language at me angrily?
- so like i have autism (and probably adhd) and i get their sentiment, but fucking hell i'm not gonna say no to getting rid of the overstimulation and autistic breakdowns..
  
  There's a difference between a function variation and a disability, and being deaf is absolutely a fucking disability as it's pretty nice to be able to hear oncoming trains and avoid being turned into a red mist.
  
  also hey how about instead of being gatekeepers, they teach other people to sign? i'd sure like to have sign as a fallback for when my autistic brain decides speaking isn't happening today. Or, you know, when you're far away from someone and don't want to shout at the top of your lungs..
- This is what you get when you let people talk you into identity politics.
- Skill issue. They base their identity on something deficient.
  
  Hey maybe we should hear them out for a second. Oh wait...
- https://www.businessinsider.com/why-deaf-people-turn-down-cochlear-implants-2016-12
- Movie "The sound of Metal" talks about this
- What ?
  
  Here's an article talking about it
  
  Quote:
  
  The controversy is sometimes difficult for hearing people to understand. Hearing people often assume that Deaf people would naturally want to take advantage of any method that could lead them to become part of the hearing world — especially cochlear implants, the most advanced hearing technology we have. In reality, that assumption is far from true. To members of Deaf culture, American Sign Language is a cultural cornerstone. Because Deaf children who receive cochlear implants at a young age will likely be educated in the oralist method, they are less likely to learn ASL during their early years, which are the most critical years of language acquisition. For some Deaf parents, that would result in a child who speaks a different language than they do.
  
  The article covers a lot more than that, so I recommend reading it to get the full picture.
- Thats fucked, why would someone think a life altering disadvantage being part of someone's identity be a good thing
  
  If people can find ways to make their lives better then they shouldn't be ostracised for it
Just wait until he hears AC/DC for the first time
- zzzzzzzzzzzzzt

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