Hearing Loss
How Hearing Loss Affects Us
 

Over 28 million people have difficulty hearing. "What did you say?" "I can hear but I can't understand." "Everyone seems to mumble". Do you find yourself or someone you know making these comments? You're not alone. There are more than TWO million new cases of hearing impairment reported annually. Because hearing loss can develop over several years, most people are not aware of the extent of their loss until family or friends bring it to their attention. Even then, the problem is often ignored or explained with excuses such as "people mumble" or "talk too soft".
 

How We Hear. Sound waves are collected by the outer ear and channeled to the ear drum. When sound hits the ear drum, it creates vibrations which in turn, move three small bones in the middle ear. The smallest of these bones, the stirrup, fits into the oval window between the middle and inner ear. When the oval window vibrates, fluid in the inner ear transmits the vibrations into a snail-shaped structure called the cochlea. In the inner ear, thousands of microscopic hair cells are bent by the wavelike action of fluid inside the cochlea. The bending of these hairs sets off nerve impulses which are then passed through the auditory nerve to the hearing center of the brain.

Causes of Hearing Impairment. Hearing can be affected by: middle ear infection, loud or constant noise, heredity, illness, birth defects, traumatic injury, ototoxic medications, tumors, arthritis, reduced blood flow, ear wax blockage, sinus, allergies or just the natural aging process. Most children should be treated by an Ear Nose and Throat Physician, while most older adults over age 50 simply need proper amplification.

Symptoms of a Hearing Loss. Often, among the first sounds which "disappear" are those in the higher frequency ranges which include women's and children's voices and bird's singing. Difficulty hearing in public gatherings like halls, theaters, churches and large rooms. Difficulty with television, telephone voices or conversations within a group of people. Adults avoiding group meetings, social occasions or family gatherings where listening may be difficult or where one may feel embarrassed about misunderstanding what is being said. Individuals affected by hearing impairment often develop methods for coping with difficult situations. These actions may include asking others to repeat, turning their head to one side while listening to sounds or speakers, turning up volume levels on the TV or stereo, avoiding social gatherings, misinterpreting a person's spoken word or sentence.

Testing for Hearing Loss. Testing is painless, comfortable and safe. It consists of answering questions about your hearing, recognizing everyday words at different volume levels and identifying different sounds. Your ability to hear each sound or word, produces a unique hearing pattern which is recorded on an audiogram that indicates the type and severity of the loss. These tests can indicate if medical intervention is recommended or if a hearing instrument would be the best course of action.

Help for the Hearing Impaired. Recognizing symptoms in yourself or someone you know is the first step toward improving the situation. Approximately 10% of all adult hearing losses may now be helped medically. However, almost 90% may now be helped with today's various technological advances available in programmable, digital hearing instruments.