SO WHAT?‘ - the theme of VARTA‘s World Hearing Day 2025 campaign highlights the benefits of ear and hearing care and encourages peoples to take concrete actions to ensure good hearing health throughout life. Many people are reluctant to get their hearing tested and to use hearing aids or simply don‘t know the dangers of hearing loss. With our campaign we want to raise awareness and reduce stigma about ear and hearing care. Everyone who chooses to take care of themselves shows great courage and confidence. This is why we show in our campaign empowered, confident and courageous people who take actions for hearing care and ignore what others might think about it.
3 March is World Hearing Day
World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. Each year, the World Health Organization develops a global campaign theme and invites all stakeholders to join this initiative. In 2025, WHO invites individuals of all ages to empower themselves to ensure healthy ears and hearing for themselves and others, with the theme, „Changing mindsets: empower yourself to make ear and hearing care a reality for all!“. By encouraging individuals to recognize the importance of ear and hearing health, this campaign aims to inspire them to change behavior to protect their hearing from loud sounds and prevent hearing loss, check their hearing regularly, use hearing devices if needed, and support those living with hearing loss. Empowered individuals can drive change within themselves and in society at large.1
Changing mindsets about hearing loss & ear care
Globally more than 1.5 billion people experience some degree of hearing loss and by 2050, over 700 million people are expected to have disabling hearing loss. The prevalence of disabling hearing loss increases with age, rising from 15% among people in their 60s, to 58% among those aged more than 90 years, but children can also be affected. In fact, most cases of hearing loss among children are due to preventable causes!1
Hearing loss can be caused by genetic factors, disease, infection, ototoxic medication, loud noise, trauma to the ear or head or age-related sensorineural degeneration. How we hear in the future depends on how we care for our ears, as many cases of hearing loss can be prevented through safe hearing and good hearing care. Early detection of hearing loss and access to timely rehabilitation are crucial to achieving the greatest potential. You can take steps today to maintain healthy hearing throughout your life!1
Did you know that hearing loss often remains undetected? Adults typically wait 9-10 years before seeking any hearing care! Timely identification & intervention is important as it leads to better hearing, communication and protects against cognitive decline. To ensure that hearing loss is noticed as early as possible, everybody should check their hearing from time to time, especially those who are at higher risk of hearing loss. This includes people who frequently listen to loud music, work in noisy places, take medication that damages hearing or are over the age of 60. To facilitate the hearing test, the WHO has developed a mobile and web-based software application for hearing screening. Download the app and check your hearing now!2
Changing mindsets about hearing aids
Did you know that only 17% of those who could benefit from using a hearing aid, actually uses one? Many people are reluctant to get their hearing tested, as they don‘t know the dangers of unaddressed hearing loss or they avoid hearing aids as they think the hearing aids are „noticeable“, “embarrassing to wear”, or “make you look old”3. In fact, there are many different types of hearing aids, and they come in different colours, sizes and shapes. The most common types are in-the-ear (ITE) and behind-the-ear hearing aids (BTE)4. Modern hearing aids offer wireless connections with Bluetooth so you can connect directly with smart-phones, TVs and other audio devices!2 Hearing aid users experience a significant improvement in their hearing ability and quality of life. They benefit not only from improved participation in community life, in their social and family environment and in leisure activities, but also from a reduction in barriers to employment and educational opportunities2.
The battery of a hearing aid has to be changed every 7-10 days, depending on the battery type, on how you use your hearing aids and on what model you have. There are four different sizes of hearing aid batteries available on the market. The sizes from smallest to largest are 10/PR70, 312/PR41, 13/PR48 and 675/PR44. VARTA hearing aid batteries are produced in Germany and provide reliable, long-lasting energy with highest performance for hearing aids. The premium batteries provide stable voltage for wireless streaming, enabling a more efficient connection and clear sound with audio devices.
1WHO World Hearing Day 2025 who.int/campaigns/world-hearing-day/2025;
2WHO world report on hearing https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240020481;
3ENT Consultants https://www.entconsultants.net/why-is-there-a-stigma-around-wearing-hearing-aids/;
4WHO tips for hearing aid users cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/ncds/sdr/deafness-and-hearing-loss/0123-tips-for-hearing-aid-users-flyer.pdf?sfvrsn=96b161cf_20&download=true;
Further information about our VARTA hearing aid batteries can be found here:
https://www.varta-ag.com/en/consumer/product-categories/hearing-aid-batteries