Hearing loss may be caused by an accident, certain medications, surgery, environmental factors, and certain diseases or disorders. People also tend to lose at least some of their hearing ability as they age: This condition is known as presbycusis.
Hearing loss involving the inner ear is known as sensorineural hearing loss while hearing loss that affects the middle or outer ear is conductive hearing loss.
It is also possible to suffer from mixed hearing loss, which is an amalgamation of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss can often be treated with the use of hearing aids.
Here, we will focus on the common signs that indicate that you need a hearing test.
Hearing loss may be caused by inner ear damage. The nerve cells and hairs in your cochlea may become damaged or impacted due to exposure to loud noises or the natural ageing process.
When these nerve cells and hairs go missing or become severely damaged electrical signals may be unable to be sent efficiently, if at all. Moreover, hearing loss can sometimes be caused by excess earwax.
Your ear canal can become blocked by an accumulation of hardened earwax. Sound waves cannot be conducted when the ear canal is blocked off, resulting in hearing loss until a doctor extracts the wax.
Tumours and abnormal bone growths in the middle or outer ear may also lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss. An ear infection may also cause hearing loss, which may become permanent if the ear infection is not treated in time.
Furthermore, a ruptured eardrum may cause hearing loss. Sudden changes in pressure, an infection, a cacophony of loud noise, and inserting a sharp object into your eardrum may cause your eardrum to rupture.
Hearing loss often begins with some difficulty in understanding the speech of others. A person with hearing loss will often ask their friends or family to repeat what they just said. Pronounced hearing loss may lead to depression.
Some deaf and hard-of-hearing people may avoid social situations and ostracise themselves to avoid embarrassment.
By communicating more effectively with others, you will improve your social interactions and relationships with your colleagues and loved ones. You may notice an improvement in your mood and overall well-being.
You will no longer need to worry about missing parties and other special events. Your confidence and self-esteem will get a nice boost, and you may also notice an increase in your productivity at work.
The goal of a hearing test is to diagnose the root cause of your hearing loss accurately. Once the extent of your hearing loss is discovered, your doctor or audiologist will prescribe a course of treatment to rectify the issue.
The earlier the hearing loss is detected, the higher the probability of successfully solving the problem. Hearing tests help people of all ages and walks of life improve their quality of life to focus on more important matters.
If you suffer from hearing loss issues, you do not have to suffer in silence. Technology has advanced greatly over the years, and there are many treatments available that can be tailored to optimise your ability to hear.
Hearing loss may be caused by a tumour, infection, certain drugs, and degenerative diseases or disorders. Many people will begin to lose their hearing as they age, a natural part of the ageing process.
Hearing loss may also be caused by blunt force trauma to the ears or head, a botched operation, or exposure to very loud sounds, such as a rock concert.
Some signs of hearing loss include difficulty hearing consonants and the muffling of sounds, such as speech. You may also find that you need to increase the volume of your radio or television to listen to what is playing.
If you find yourself having to ask people to speak more loudly and slowly frequently, then you may need to undergo a hearing test. A hearing test will allow you to identify the cause of your hearing loss.
By determining where the hearing loss has occurred, your audiologist will be able to program your hearing aids so that you can hear sounds in that particular range.
You will be able to hear sounds that you were unable to hear in the past, such as the chirping of birds or the ticking of a clock.
Sources:
5 Benefits of a Hearing Test (mountainent.com)
4 Benefits of a Hearing Test (pcaudiology.ca)
Hearing loss – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
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