Prevention of accidents caused by paracusis while walking among individuals with visual impairment

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Individuals with visual impairment may become disoriented when exposed to a sudden noise, such as the sound of a passing train or a truck, while walking. In particular, exposure to such sounds while walking on a station platform may lead to a fatal accident. In the present study, we recorded the sound of a passing train on a Shinkansen platform and performed an auditory walking test by playing the sound inside an experiment space. The results confirmed the occurrence of paracusis, particularly in spaces with a long reverberation time. Although the specific mechanism of these findings could not be determined herein, the present findings indicate that paracusis may be caused by a sudden noise.