Self-Check for Your Hearing and Ears
Recognizing the Signs of Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss Facts
The Demographics of Hearing Loss
Common Myths and Facts
Hearing Loss Affects Your Speech Perception
Types Hearing Loss



A Self-Check for Your Hearing and Ears

What you should know about hearing loss.

Check YES or NO to each item for yourself or for an adult loved one:

Have any of your relatives had a hearing loss?
Do you sometimes feel people are mumbling or not speaking clearly?
Do you sometimes find it difficult to understand a speaker at a public meeting or religious service?
Do you experience ringing or noises in your ears?
Do you hear better with one ear than the other?
Have you had significant noise exposure at work, recreation or in military service?
Do you sometimes find yourself asking people to speak up or to repeat themselves?
Do you find men's voices easier to understand than women's?
Do you sometimes have difficulty understanding speech or words on the telephone?
Does a hearing problem cause you to feel embarrassed when meeting new people?
Does a hearing problem cause you to visit friends, relatives or neighbors less often then you like?
Does a hearing problem cause you to talk to family members less often then you would like?
Does a hearing problem cause you to feel depressed?

YES answers to any of these questions may mean that you have a hearing problem. Several YES answers strongly suggest that a hearing evaluation is necessary. In either case, please call us now to book your appointment.



Recognizing the Signs of Hearing Loss

If you think someone you know might have a hearing loss, take a look at this list of common signs. Do any of the following sound familiar?

They appear to hear people talk but have difficulty understanding some of the words ?
They're constantly asking people to repeat themselves ?
They have a hard time understanding women and children's voices ?
They have a hard time understanding in a crowd ?
It's hard for them to understand on the phone ?
They favor one ear over the other ?
They complain of a ringing sensation in one or both ears ?
They often appear uncomfortable in social occasions they used to enjoy ?
They seem withdrawn, depressed or irritable ?
Other friends or family members have noticed their difficulty hearing ?

While a few "yes" answers don't automatically indicate a hearing loss, it does suggest the need for further evaluation.



Hearing Loss Facts

  • Hearing loss is second only to arthritis as the most common complaint of older adults
  • Only about 10% of hearing losses are helped by surgery or other medical treatment
  • 90% of hearing losses can be treated with the use of hearing instruments
  • Only 16% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss
  • Noise above 80-90 decibels on average over an 8-hour workday is considered hazardous
  • Firearms, music, airplanes, power tools and many appliances are louder than 80 decibels and hazardous to hearing with prolonged exposure
  • A live rock concert produces sounds from 110 to 120 decibels high enough to cause permanent damage to hearing over a 2 to 3 hour period




The Demographics of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is more common than you might think. Interestingly, due to recreational and environmental noise, hearing loss is occurring at younger and younger ages. Consider the facts:

  • 28 million Americans are hearing impaired, and an estimated 500 million experience hearing loss, worldwide
  • In the U.S., one out of 12 30-year-olds is already hearing-impaired and one in 8 50-year-olds suffer from hearing loss
  • After President Bill Clinton was fitted for hearing instruments, more than 1 million other baby boomers identified themselves as experiencing hearing loss
  • There are more baby boomers aged 45-64 with a hearing loss (10 million) than there are people over the age of 65 with a hearing loss (9 million)
  • More than a third of all hearing loss is attributed to noise: loud music, loud workplaces, loud recreational equipment
  • Thanks to the above, we’re all losing our hearing at a younger age than we were 30 years ago
  • Of the 10 million Americans aged 45 to 64 who have a hearing loss, 6 out of 7 do not yet benefit from wearing hearing instruments




Common Myths and Facts

A lot of what passes for knowledge about hearing loss and hearing instruments today is based on outdated, or simply erroneous, information. Before you make any big decisions about hearing loss, check out the real story behind these common myths:

Myth: Living with hearing loss is not a big deal.

Fact: There are many psychological effects to hearing loss, including frustration, withdrawal, and depression. Trouble communicating with others creates a strain on relationships and a loss of esteem. It’s far better to deal with hearing loss than to pretend it isn’t happening—or to ignore the effect it is having on those around you.

Myth: Hearing instruments are obvious and unattractive.

Fact: While it’s true that hearing instruments don’t enjoy the fashion status of a pair of glasses, new technology has made these devices remarkably discreet. Many people can wear instruments that are either tucked well inside the ear or almost completely hidden in the ear canal. Behind-the-ear styles are often disguised by hairstyles.

Myth: Hearing loss and hearing instruments are a sign of old age.

Fact: Things are changing. Just as hearing loss is itself no longer the province of the elderly (there are more hearing-impaired people in the 45-64 year-old age category than there are in the over-65 age group), neither is wearing a hearing instrument. Many of the baby boomers now experiencing hearing loss will undoubtedly invest in better hearing sooner than later. And, as a culture, we’re increasingly showing our preference for treatment over doing nothing — witness the popularity of such investments in life as laser eye surgery and hormone replacement therapy, to name a few. Indeed, doing nothing to help yourself may be seen as a more obvious sign of old age than the problem itself.

Myth: Really good hearing instruments are prohibitively expensive.

Fact: Better hearing through technology is within the reach of most people. The real issue is quality of life, and what it’s worth to you. While good hearing instruments are seen as expensive, putting a price on a better life experience is hard to do. You have to weigh the benefits and make your own decision. However you choose to look at it, treating hearing loss and enjoying the benefits is still relatively inexpensive compared to treating most health problems.

Myth: Hearing instruments don’t work.

Fact: Hearing instruments won’t restore lost hearing or stop the progression of age- or noise-related hearing loss. And because hearing is as much a function of the brain as it is the inner ear, hearing aids aren’t the whole story in hearing better. But smart new technologies, including the ability to amplify sound selectively, do help most people to hear better in most situations. Even so, it needs to be said that no hearing instrument, no matter how sophisticated, will work unless you are willing to wear and adapt to it.

Myth: Most hearing problems can’t be helped.

Fact: 30 or 40 years ago, that was true. Today, 90% of hearing loss—the kind that’s brought on by age or exposure to noise—is very responsive to treatment in the form of technically advanced hearing instruments.



Hearing Loss Affects Your Speech Perception

Understanding your type of hearing loss is crucial to providing the best hearing solution. Like a fingerprint, your ear and hearing loss is unique to you. Almost everyone with hearing loss can benefit greatly from a properly fitted hearing instrument.



Types of Hearing Loss

Sensorineural Hearing Loss:

This is the most common type of hearing loss. It occurs in the inner ear. This hearing loss often affects higher pitched speech sounds such as “th,” “f,” “s,” and “t.” These sounds play crucial roles in our ability to understand speech. This is why a person with sensorineural loss will often say, “I can hear but I often don’t understand what is being said.”

Conductive Hearing Loss:

This hearing loss occurs in the outer or middle ear. Voices and sounds may be faint or distorted from a hearing loss in the low frequency range. Lower pitched sounds that provide the “volume” to speech, sounds such as “o” and “u,” are reduced. The loudness of incoming speech is affected, but usually not clarity.

Mixed Hearing Loss:

When hearing loss occurs both sensorineurally and conductively, then the condition is known as a mixed hearing loss.