Frontiers Aug 1 2025 Hearing loss is the most common form of sensory disability. Approximately 1.6 billion people around the world currently live with from some degree of hearing loss, and the WHO has forecast that this number will rise to 2.5 billion by 2050. People with hearing loss tend to experience more stress and anxiety at school or work, and as a result take more days off sick. The annual global cost of unaddressed hearing loss may run to $1 trillion. Now, a long-term observational