Custom ear plugs can help save your hearing in showy, loud Las Vegas

Las Vegas — which bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World — can be a little louder than most cities. But exactly how loud is too loud?

Audiologist Courtney Smith, who has worked with many musicians, cocktail waitresses and other performers, hears about the consequences of too much sound exposure every day.

“I had a patient in my office who worked in a nightclub setting [who] was losing his hearing,” Smith said. “He was really young and he was really upset about that and asked, ‘Well, now what can I do?’ ”

She had to tell him that hearing aids were his only option.

Most people are unaware how quickly permanent hearing damage can occur, although it varies according to how loud the noise environment is, said Jill Gruenwald, an audiologist at Vanderbilt University’s Bill Wilkerson Center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences.

“When you go to a music venue, you can cause damage in a manner of hours or even minutes; when you’re using hearing protection, you give yourself more time,” Gruenwald said. “As a rule, if someone is standing at an arm’s length and they have to shout for you to hear them, it is loud enough to cause damage.”

Common factors in hearing loss research include steady-state noise, such as machines in factories, but living and working in Las Vegas presents an entirely new set of hearing problems, Gruenwald explained. It is harder to minimize the noise when it is constantly changing as it might at a casino or in a restaurant or nightclub.

“I see a lot of younger people in their 20s — especially people who are in the industry working around a lot of noise — DJs and musicians who realize that their ears are the tools for their craft, and they really can’t do their job or perform if their hearing isn’t at max capacity,” Smith said.

In addition to her audiology practice, Smith started making custom earplugs to help patients blunt the effects of continued exposure to noise. Her company, Sound Signature, takes impressions and makes custom earplugs onsite for earplugs onsite, eliminating the need for multiple office visits.

Custom earplugs can cost between $150 and $200, and not only reduce noise, but also maintain the quality of the sound. Smith charges a base price per pair of about $185, but adding color costs more.

“Because the foam earplugs turn down high pitch more than the low pitches, they distort the sound,” Gruenwald said. “Custom earplugs have special filters that try to turn down low, high and medium equally to make the sound clearer.”

One of Smith’s clients, Las Vegas based Mike Mohammednur, also known as DJ Mike Attack, said his hearing has improved significantly since he started wearing custom earplugs.

“After every gig, I would go home with my ears ringing until the next day,” said Mohammednur. “I never have ear problems anymore.”

Read more from Anna Williams at reviewjournal.com. Contact her at awilliams@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AnnaWilliamsRJ on Twitter.