DETECTING A HEARING LOSS

Hearing loss can range from mild to extreme and may be gradual or sudden. A hearing loss that is gradual may not be noticed. A person may adapt to the loss by using visual cues, such as lip movements, facial expressions, and body language of the speaker.

Hearing loss can be caused by:

aging
injury or foreign body
disease or infection
heredity
medications or
noise

Some common complaints by people with hearing loss are:

difficulty hearing speech clearly
difficulty hearing over the telephone
difficulty hearing with a noisy background and
confusion about where sounds are coming from

If a person cannot hear well, a physician who specializes in diseases of the ear should be consulted. Medical treatment can restore some kinds of hearing loss back to normal. Other kinds of hearing loss are not reversible. Prompt medical care is important when the hearing loss is sudden.

Family or friends may encourage a person to obtain a hearing exam. Parents or teachers often notice that speech or language is not developing normally in a child.

To determine the presence of a hearing loss, an audiologist conducts a hearing test that measures:

how soft a tone a person can detect at various pitches and
how well a person can recognize speech at a soft level

A hearing test will determine the type and amount of hearing loss. The results are charted on an audiogram. If a hearing loss is detected, hearing aids or other assistive listening devices can often help. An audiologist can also help a person cope with the hearing loss through education, guidance, and counseling.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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