I predict deaf population will be smaller.

[highlands]

I do miss my very old days when I could clearly hear and understand people naturally. I even forgot how natural hearing is. Just technological hearing thru hearing aids to make my life easier. When a cure truly shows up, it may cure my deafness but my psychological experiences and life won't be cured . I probably will feel at an intermediate point where I could hear but not enjoying life like hearing people. This could cause new problems. Let's see what would happen.

 

[Banjo]

The measles outbreak in the 60s did contribute to the boom in the deaf population.

I'm fairly certain that a similar outbreak causing a surge in deafness will happen again someday. From what I have gathered, it may re-occur every few decades.

 

[FireTiger]

While I like reading up on predictions of future technology, I have noticed that it has a mixed record. I remember reading 1950s of how we'd have flying cars.. While I think it's proable that we could have self driving cars and we could see practical uses of nanotechnology in the near future, I have to say that I'm a bit skeptical about bloodless wars. Who's to say that the like of a blood thirsty monster won't rise again (Stalin, Hilter, Pol Pot among others)? There have been such leaders who have no regard for the well being of other people in the past and I have no doubt there will be such people in the future. That said, it's possible that future atrocities may not be committed on a scale as massive as World War 2 and the 1930s in Russia due to evolving technologies.

Wars without armies, not wars without causalities- there is a huge difference.

Currently our drones help support ground forces and tactical air strikes, in the future we won't need to send our troops in till the humanitarian stage.

(rebuilding infrastructure, dispensing medicine, food and clean water.)

 

[Jazzberry]

I think we will see Hair cell regeneration by 2020. I think we are very close now.

Yes, I believe so. Things are speeding up as more and more researchers and scientists get on board. They know it'd be an extremely lucrative market once this is solved.

JFB | Free Full-Text | A Review of Gene Delivery and Stem Cell Based Therapies for Regenerating Inner Ear Hair Cells

I don't think the ability to create hair cell regeneration will be enough. I think we will also need to understand why the hair cells die or are destroyed and develop the ability to prevent that from happening also.

If not, I could see a situation where many people would need to have to have their hair cells constantly replaced -- and even if that becomes feasible wouldn't it be likely that there would be times when many hair cells have died and haven't been regenerated yet? I imagine people in that situation would still have periods of time when they were not hearing well. Also they may have constantly fluctuating levels of hearing which might require many pairs of hearing aids depending upon where they were in their hair cell regeration cycle.

I'm still in favoring of learning how stem cell therapy could help reverse hearing loss -- but I think the solution is much more complicated then merely replacing non-working hair cells for many people with hearing loss.

(Exceptions: people who have hearing loss as a result of ototoxicity (bad reaction to pharmeceutical drugs), noise damage or inner ear concussions from an accident. Those people could probably benefit from a one-time application of stem cell therapy that would replace the hair cells. )

kokonut -- thanks for the link to the article -- very interesting. That is the most thorough description of how the inner ear works that I've ever read (well skimmed anyway ).

Deafness will be cured???? What is cure for cochlear aplasia? Do tell.

Good point. In your case there would have to be the aiblity to create a brand new cochlea along with all the biological "interfaces" that a cochlea normally has.

 

[Jazzberry]

I'm fairly certain that a similar outbreak causing a surge in deafness will happen again someday. From what I have gathered, it may re-occur every few decades.

Because of new diseases? Or because of many parents being reluctant to vaccinate their children for existing diseases? I don't understand why this may reoccur every few decades.

 

[Jazzberry]

Wars without armies, not wars without causalities- there is a huge difference.

Currently our drones help support ground forces and tactical air strikes, in the future we won't need to send our troops in till the humanitarian stage.

(rebuilding infrastructure, dispensing medicine, food and clean water.)

Off topic, but I sometimes wonder what may happen if our enemies develop the ability to create drones that can fly in to attack from long distances also.

 

[Banjo]

Because of new diseases? Or because of many parents being reluctant to vaccinate their children for existing diseases? I don't understand why this may reoccur every few decades.

Precisely. Diseases that is, not the vaccinations. People still die from the flu. Don't kid yourself into thinking people will be immune to any diseases in the future. There's still no cure for the common cold due to the number of new strains being formed all of the times.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a massive epidemic sometimes in our lifetime like our previous generations have faced in the past. Vaccinations don't always necessarily protect you from diseases, they just boost your immune system. Nature will always find a way, no matter what.

 

[Eighty]

Wirelessly posted (sent from a smartphone. )

Yes that's right you heard me.

Due to the advancing health technology. Deafness will be cured. There would be also less risks of deaf babies as well. CI will be obselete and stem cell will replace that. In about 25 to 50 years, deaf population will lose by 1/4 to 1/3 of the orginal due to aging boomers and deafness being cured.

Deaf schools will continue to close but at an alarming rate due to low enrollment.

Any other predictions you would like to add?

On December 12, 2012 an asteroid will fly by earth generating extremely strong venturi effect, which will cause extreme pressure difference and rupture everyone's ear drum.

We wont be the 1% anymore, then we will need to start finding cures for babies.

 

[Deafguy25]

On December 12, 2012 an asteroid will fly by earth generating extremely strong venturi effect, which will cause extreme pressure difference and rupture everyone's ear drum.

We wont be the 1% anymore, then we will need to start finding cures for babies.

 

[kokonut]

I don't think the ability to create hair cell regeneration will be enough. I think we will also need to understand why the hair cells die or are destroyed and develop the ability to prevent that from happening also.

If not, I could see a situation where many people would need to have to have their hair cells constantly replaced -- and even if that becomes feasible wouldn't it be likely that there would be times when many hair cells have died and haven't been regenerated yet? I imagine people in that situation would still have periods of time when they were not hearing well. Also they may have constantly fluctuating levels of hearing which might require many pairs of hearing aids depending upon where they were in their hair cell regeration cycle.

I'm still in favoring of learning how stem cell therapy could help reverse hearing loss -- but I think the solution is much more complicated then merely replacing non-working hair cells for many people with hearing loss.

(Exceptions: people who have hearing loss as a result of ototoxicity (bad reaction to pharmeceutical drugs), noise damage or inner ear concussions from an accident. Those people could probably benefit from a one-time application of stem cell therapy that would replace the hair cells. )

kokonut -- thanks for the link to the article -- very interesting. That is the most thorough description of how the inner ear works that I've ever read (well skimmed anyway )

.

Researchers are collaborating more and more in various fields overlapping each other in the search on how to effectively restore sensorineural hearing loss.

One thing becoming more and more apparent is that the body has the ability to heal itself. Just that it needs a little help to coax the body's ability to heal or regenerate. Someday a lost finger could be regenerated into a new one. A severed spinal cord would be easily repaired. Nerve endings in the eye restored. And so on. We're entering the early era of regenerative medicine.

 

[kokonut]

Off topic, but I sometimes wonder what may happen if our enemies develop the ability to create drones that can fly in to attack from long distances also.

We have drones that do go a long ways off.

UAVs have mostly been used by the Air Force for reconnasissance and surveillance ("imagery intelligence") at very long ranges (between 50 and 3,000 nautical miles away).

the sky has eyes

 

[jillio]

Wirelessly posted (droid)

Some anti-science people are refusing to immunize their kids, which is bringing back a resurgence of childhood diseases. So far, there have been outbreaks of measles and whooping cough (that's especially alarming because it kills infants too young to be vaccinated yet). I don't know what this will mean for the deaf community, but it will effect everyone.

I can see another rubella hump easily happening.

 

[deafskeptic]

I can see another rubella hump easily happening.

Given all the hysteria over the MMR vaccine, it's only a matter of time before it happens again.

 

[shel90]

I can see another rubella hump easily happening.

More deaf people for the Deaf community! lol

 

[whatdidyousay!]

So you're trying to bump me off! I am a baby boomer!! My last audiologist told that he when to Denmark , I think that was the country as a hearing aid company came out with a new HA just for baby boomers .The company think people that lost their hearing would not want to one of the beige HA and came out smaller HA to wear behind the ear. They are in all colors and have a very small ear mold . The company is hoping to made a lot of money selling HA to baby boomers. The HA are cool but I can't wear one as it not stronger enough for my hearing lost.

 

[Jazzberry]

Precisely. Diseases that is, not the vaccinations. People still die from the flu. Don't kid yourself into thinking people will be immune to any diseases in the future. There's still no cure for the common cold due to the number of new strains being formed all of the times.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a massive epidemic sometimes in our lifetime like our previous generations have faced in the past. Vaccinations don't always necessarily protect you from diseases, they just boost your immune system. Nature will always find a way, no matter what.

Well, I hope you are wrong! But I guess it is possible.

Just in case there are some anti-vaccinators lurking around I just want to put in a couple of cents about that.

I think its very easy to forget how much better vaccinations have made our lives.

My parents were born in the 1920s. They each lost many siblings who never made it past early childhood because medicine was not as good back then as it is now. My mother's parents had about 15 children of which only 3 made it past early childhood (and to adulthood). My father's parents had about 9 children of which also only 3 made it past early childhood (and to adulthood).

My parents, aunts, uncles and their children on the other hand -- all of their children made it to adulthood. They did not lose one child to sickness or disease.

My family's history is typical, not unusual.

Yes, I suppose its possible that a disease may mutate and we may have another epidemic. But if most people continue to vaccinate, the odds are that the majority of children will continue to escape disease.

 

[Jazzberry]

.

Researchers are collaborating more and more in various fields overlapping each other in the search on how to effectively restore sensorineural hearing loss.

One thing becoming more and more apparent is that the body has the ability to heal itself. Just that it needs a little help to coax the body's ability to heal or regenerate. Someday a lost finger could be regenerated into a new one. A severed spinal cord would be easily repaired. Nerve endings in the eye restored. And so on. We're entering the early era of regenerative medicine.

We have drones that do go a long ways off.


the sky has eyes

Hey Kokonut, I see you quoted my posts but I don't think you actually read them.

Re Stem Cell therapy -- yes, I have read those articles too! I know that stem cell therapy is just around the corner for regenerating hair cells. What I said though was that for some type of hearing loss regenerating hair cells may not be enough. Sometimes people get their hair cells damaged because of one traumatic event -- an ototoxic drug, noise damage or an accident which caused inner ear concussions and also damaged hair cells. For those type of people regenerating hair cells once will probably do the trick. But for many other people we don't know why their hair cells were destroyed or damaged and if they get their hair cells regenerated it may only be a short term solution because probably their hair cells will get destroyed or damaged again. For example, there is a theory that some people get their hair cells damaged due to an autoimmune disorder.

Re drones -- yes I'm aware of how powerful they are. I know that there are American soldiers who control drones in Afghanistan far away from the actual scenes of battle in Virginia or Nevada. What I said in my post was I sometimes wonder what it would be like if any of our enemies can get their hands on similar technology and do the same to us.

 

[howag]

In my opinion there will always be people who refuse the "treatment" that medical science offers them. That's their decision, clearly being deaf/hoh isn't so detrimental to one's health as many deaf/hoh people lead perfectly normal lives. I guess it's a question of is there anything to cure? maybe being deaf is really only an inconvenience due to the world we live in being mainly catered for the hearing.

 

[TXgolfer]

"Inconvenience" is the new "necessity"

 

[Beowulf]

"Inconvenience" is the new "necessity"