To the younger guys 20s or 30s... the effects add up over time and natural decline and induced damage add up to give you the big whammy sometime around 50. I took moderate care to protect my ears early on... But still I'm suffering now. I can still hear well in a quiet room, but forget about restaurants and such... My wife - blah blah blah - Me (the seemingly Old Man) Hun huh - what? I can't hear you! I've lost as much as 50% of hearing in certain registers. Even the drone of a car on the freeway makes it difficult to have a conversation.
Sucks...