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Whatever we experience in life is our own version of normal. People with a hearing loss have often gradually become hard of hearing.
Since this didn’t happen overnight, patients often don’t realize how much they are missing in everyday conversation.
It is not until patients are fit with hearing aids that they understand the impact of what they have been missing for so many years.
Early Signs Of Hearing Loss
These signs can easily go undetected, as you or your loved one can learn to live with a hearing loss to a certain extent.
When these signs surface, then it’s time to take action and prevent any further harm.
- Turning up the volume of electronics, including the TV and radio
- Asking people to repeat themselves
- Accusing others of mumbling
- Avoiding crowds or larger gatherings
A lot of these symptoms can be worked into everyday life and may be hard to identify in yourself or others.
If the hearing loss is significant, you may see or experience some of the following:
- Mumbled speech
- Being asked a question and responding with an answer that doesn’t make sense
- Not responding when being called by name
- Loss of balance
- Cognitive decline (e.g. dementia)
Hearing loss is very common. Over 25% of people ages 65-75 have a hearing loss, and over 50% of people over the age of 75 have a hearing loss.
If left untreated, these numbers will continue to grow.
What You Can Do
Preventing these problems has been a top priority at Cornerstone Audiology.
If problems are diagnosed early, then the options for treatment are greatly increased. The first thing everyone should do is get a hearing assessment done.
A hearing assessment is a painless way to identify the current status of your hearing ability.
Our audiologists begin by performing an otoscopy (visual inspection of the outer ear and eardrum) and a tympanometry (test to assess middle ear space).
Pure tone audiometry is also performed to find a threshold at multiple frequencies. Word understanding testing helps us to determine the patient’s ability to process speech at different loudness levels.
Testing regularly gives us a starting point to compare future tests and evaluate the rate at which your hearing is declining or improving.
Hearing loss can be so gradual and is often unnoticed, so it is important to have an annual hearing assessment, as it can worsen quickly with time if left untreated.
Where To Get Your Test
At Cornerstone Audiology, we have served thousands of people in the West Texas community.
We are dedicated to supporting and educating our communities on the side effects and pitfalls of undiagnosed hearing loss.
If you suspect that you or a loved one is experiencing any of the above signs, then please don’t hesitate to schedule your hearing assessment now or call our offices with any questions you may have.
