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Brightly-coloured designer earplugs could become a familiar sight on the dancefloors of Bahrain's nightspots, after research suggested that nine out of 10 young people show early signs of hearing damage after a night out.
Recent international studies have found the first symptoms of damage - dull or fuzzy hearing, tinnitus or hyperacusis (over-sensitivity to certain sounds) - in 90 per cent of young people who had spent the night at a club, gig or loud bar.
One charity concedes that most young people are reluctant to wear earplugs because of their "medicinal" appearance and because they think they will block out the music.
The plugs are worn by just three per cent of young people on nights out. In a bid to help change their image a competition was launched to find a fashionable, modern spin on them.
Students from UK universities were recently invited to design earplugs that will appeal to young people and the winners were awarded internships with leading design consultancies Ideo, Tangerine, Alloy and Pearson Matthews.
Also, a podcast released by the Ministry of Sound features three DJs - Alistair Whitehead, Rob Roar and Jazzy M - speaking about their experiences wearing plugs.
Charities for the deaf and hard of hearing hope this, along with increased awareness and an "exciting" new design will encourage people to wear them.
Experts say the popular notion that plugs block music is a misconception. They attenuate the sound - meaning that the decibel level reaching the ear is reduced, while the wearer can still hear the music.
Many young deaf people have abandoned standard ear moulds for brightly coloured or glittery versions. Companies which make moulds for hearing aids have introduced many varieties which they say are proving popular.
Dreve, a medical product manufacturer in the Netherlands, has responded to the growing appetite for bling by making ear moulds with Swarovski crystals.
"We think young people should be able to make informed choices about the exposure to loud noise," a charity official said.
If the glitzy, designer ear plugs take off at the nightspots here they might also start a fashion trend at the annual Grand Prix at the BIC!
