Comprehensive Hearing Testing

A. Some of the most common signs related to hearing loss include:

• Constantly asking people to repeat themselves
• Difficulty while having a conversation in a noisy environment
• Frequently misheard words
• More and more people in your life are mumbling
• People are telling you to turn the TV down
• Struggling to understand the person on the other end of the phone
• A constant ringing or buzzing in your ears
• Friends and family members telling you to “get your ears checked”

A. The most common cause of hearing loss is called presbycusis, which involves the deterioration of the structural components in your ears over time due to aging or genetics, similar to many people’s experiences with their eyesight.

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) results from frequent exposure to sounds over 85 decibels (the noise level of the average lawnmower or chainsaw, for example) for more than 15 minutes at a time, or from a sudden extreme noise impact event.

Ototoxic medications can lead to permanent or temporary hearing loss, while other causes of temporary hearing loss can also be caused by earwax or some other object blocking the ear canal, inflammation, and growths or tumors.

A.Your audiogram plots out how well you are able to hear sounds at various pitches or frequencies, allowing your hearing specialist to classify your hearing loss in any of five categories, including:

Mild: Trouble hearing conversations in a noisy room or when someone is speaking quietly. In quiet environments, mild hearing loss is manageable.

Moderate: It is harder to hear conversation in group settings. People with a moderate loss tend to have the TV turned up too loud.

Moderately Severe: Hearing and understanding speech is significantly reduced at this level, especially in group environments or when talking on the telephone.

Severe: Normal conversation becomes inaudible, and shouting can still be challenging to comprehend.

Profound: At this level, only the loudest sounds are audible, and shouting may not be heard at all.

A. Although not very common, it is possible. However, the vast majority of people with hearing loss have a loss in both ears (bilateral loss), but one ear might have greater damage, or a person learns to favor one ear as their hearing deteriorates. True unilateral hearing loss may be caused by:

• Congenital or genetics
• Illness or infection
• Head or ear trauma

Single-sided deafness (SSD) is when hearing loss in one ear is so severe that a conventional hearing aid will not help, but there are specific hearing aids that may help route sounds from the poor ear over to the good ear using Bluetooth technology.

A. Hearing loss cannot always be prevented, but there are important things you can do to ensure you limit its effect on your life, such as:

• Using hearing aids to address your hearing loss. Hearing aids stimulate the hearing nerve, making the most out of the hearing ability you have left and keeping your brain’s ability to recognize speech in top shape.
• Limit your exposure to noise. Whether you’re exposed to noise at work, while you’re doing chores around the house (mowing the lawn, sawing wood, etc.), enjoying recreational activities (snowmobiling, target shooting, hunting, etc.) or attending a concert, nightclub or major sporting event, ear protection is essential for limiting damage. Regular earplugs provide some protection, but most hearing care providers can fit you with custom earplugs for maximum comfort and protection.
• Annual hearing tests, especially if you’re over the age of 50, allow you to monitor your hearing health and take action as soon as any changes occur.

A. If your hearing loss is caused by a blockage, such as a wax buildup, a foreign object, inflammation, a growth or tumor (conductive hearing loss), your hearing healthcare professional can drastically improve your hearing ability with some form of intervention, like removing the object, medication to reduce inflammation or a minor surgical procedure.

However, if your hearing loss is the result of damage to the sensory organ and/or nerve in the inner ear (sensorineural hearing loss), the damage is usually permanent. Fortunately, 95% of sensorineural hearing loss cases can be effectively helped through the use of hearing aids, which not only improve your hearing but can also help improve your balance and/or limit cognitive decline.