Hearing loss can take many forms, and may appear either suddenly, as the result of injury or trauma, or over time, due to aging. The hearing loss itself may be short-term or permanent, and may range from mild (having difficulty understanding casual conversation) to severe (total deafness). Either a single ear can be affected by hearing loss, or both ears.
You will find many symptoms associated with hearing loss, one of the most common of which is a growing inability to hear or understand conversations. People’s speaking voices might seem to be at too low a volume or sound muffled . You may be able to hear people talking, but be unable to differentiate specific words, especially if more than one person is speaking or the conversations are taking place in environments with lots of background noise.
Various other usual signs of hearing loss include having to increase the volume on your television or radio, having a harder time hearing women’s voices than men’s, and not being able to differentiate sounds like ‘th’ and ‘s’ from one another. If you feel pain, tenderness, or itching in your ears, have instances of vertigo or dizziness, or hear a persistent ringing sound, these symptoms can also be indicators of hearing loss.
Because it may arise gradually, many people with hearing impairment don’t realize it. Or they may notice it but exhibit “denial behaviors” in an attempt to hide or conceal their hearing loss from others. Examples of these types of symptoms include having to ask people to repeat themselves frequently, avoiding discussions and social situations, acting as if you’ve heard stuff that you really didn’t, and emotions of depression or isolation.
If these signs and symptoms sound familiar to you, it is time to make an appointment with one of our hearing specialists. They will give you a hearing test to figure out if you have experienced hearing loss, and if so, can help you to do something about it.