Hearing Loss

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Losing the ability to hear impacts your life in a negative way, which is why it's important to seek treatment.

As you get older, your senses tend to diminish. One of those senses is your hearing. However, there are also other causes of hearing loss that are not associated with getting older that need to be examined by a doctor so that the proper treatments can begin.

  • The cause of your hearing loss will determine the best treatment for you.
  • It is possible to learn to live with hearing loss and have a full life.
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Symptoms of Hearing Loss

A prominent sign of hearing loss is only hearing muffled sounds. You might not be able to fully understand when someone is talking or be able to hear other sounds that are close to you. Consonant sounds are often the first ones that you won’t understand when you begin to lose your hearing, as well as high-pitched sounds. There will likely be a need to listen to people say the same thing again or a need to turn the volume up on the television or radio in order to hear it at the same level that one would if there wasn’t any type of hearing loss.

Instead of trying to hear what other people say in various settings, you might not associate with people at all or avoid going to places where there is a lot of noise so that you don’t have to strain to hear anything. If you notice any of these symptoms or if other people have told you that they see changes in your hearing, then you need to visit a doctor who can perform the tests needed to determine the severity of your hearing loss.

Causes of Hearing Loss

For many people, getting older is the reason for hearing loss. Other causes include:

  • Any kind of damage or injury to the inner ear can cause hearing loss.
  • If there is an excess amount of wax in the ear, then you might not be able to hear normally.
  • An infection can cause hearing loss if it’s not treated.
  • You could also experience hearing loss if the eardrum is ruptured because of an injury or because of extremely loud sounds that occur nearby.
  • Changes in pressure that occur over a short time can cause a loss of hearing.
  • If there are people in your family who have issues with their hearing, then you could have some of the same symptoms as hearing loss can be hereditary.

Treating Hearing Loss

For many people, a hearing aid works well for hearing loss. Your doctor will perform tests and determine how severe the hearing loss is before ordering a hearing aid that will allow you to hear voices and sounds. You can adjust the volume of a hearing aid depending on whether you want to hear better or if you want to block out sounds that are around you. Some hearing aids can be implanted, but most attach to the outside of the ear and can be removed at any time, such as when you take a shower or when you go to bed. Additionally, your doctor may recommend surgery to restore hearing loss in some cases.