Symptoms of Hearing Difficulty:
Do your ears hurt or drain fluid?
- Do you experience constant ringing in one or both ears?
- Do you feel which ear is better?
- Do you have trouble determining where sounds come from?
-Do you ask for repetition?
- Do you think people talking with you seem to mumble?
- Do you often think "my hearing is not as good as it used to be?"
- Does it seem like people do not speak clearly?
- Do you feel you have to strain to understand conversations?
-Do you feel unclear of speech from back side or distance than front.
- Does your family members and friends told you can’t hear properly.
- Do you avoid social activities & group conversation for fear that you will not be able to hear
- Do you have trouble understanding the speaker’s at large gatherings?
- Do you have trouble hearing conversations in a noisy background such as a crowded room or restaurant?
- Do you have a problem hearing voices over the telephone?
- Do you worry that you may not hear the telephone ring or doorbell?
- Do you listen TV at a loud volume, or have trouble understanding conversations on TV?
By
Miss Chinmoyee Purusty
Audiologist & Speech Language Pathologist
In general Hearing loss in general can be categorized by
- Permanent hearing loss - can't be cured.
- Temporary hearing loss - can be cured through proper medical treatment.
Medical diagnosis Hearing Loss can be categorized -
- Conductive Hearing Loss - Problem in External and Middle Ear
- Sensory Neural Hearing Loss - Problem in Inner Ear
- Mixed Hearing Loss - Problem in all three - External, Middle and Inner Ear.
Causes of hearing loss are
- Genetic problem.
- Ageing
- Exposure to Noise
- Ear infections are the common cause
- Birth complications
- Traumatic injury to ear
- Due to medicines and toxins.
- Excessive use of Headphones and Mobiles
In normal course any persons having hearing loss can identify hearing loss by
- Problems in general communications when talking each other.
- Listening TV, Radio etc in loud volume.
- Others people are commenting - have you hearing problem?
- Long time suffering from ear diseases.
- Can't hear whispering sound etc.
Clinically hearing loss is measured through -
- Audiometer Device in a Acoustically controlled room.
where audiologist measure hearing thresholds and frame a curve known as Audiogram for each ear indicating ability to hearing.
By drawing audiogram curve audiologist caterorized hearing loss in decible unit - Mild Hearing Loss, Moderate Hearing Loss, Moderately Severe Hearing Loss, Severe Hearing Loss, Profound Hearing Loss.
Hearing loss or hearing impairment is inability to hear totally or partially. We define complete deaf as no hearing ability. Whereas a person with partial hearing problem can hear with hearing aid.
A person suffering from hearing loss only in one ear is known as unilateral hearing loss. A person having inability to hearing in both ears is known a binaural hearing loss.
Patient having hearing loss can feel loneliness, communication problem, social problems. Children suffering from hearing loss can affect the ability to learn spoken language.
Temporary hearing loss may be cured through medical guidance whereas permanent hearing loss can't be cured.
Hearing aid to be prescribed for those suffering from permanent partial hearing problem. Completer deaf person have no result with hearing aid.
While age-related hearing loss is widespread, no one should assume that they will lose their hearing as they age.However, it’s important to note that monitoring a person’s hearing is a good idea when other health conditions are identified. In fact, it is recommended that everyone has their hearing tested once a year. This gives us a great idea as to how well you are hearing. With this information, we may be able to identify issues early on and treat them before they become a severe problem.
Hearing loss affects everyone differently. Some people with a mild hearing loss may feel they have ultimately been cut off from communication. In contrast, others with a severe hearing loss don’t notice a problem because it happened so slowly.Most commonly, when we start to have difficulty hearing our loved ones, we notice a problem. A spouse or grandchild’s voice may just become challenging to understand.Other people may notice that they can hear well in most quiet places, but understanding speech becomes very difficult when they are in the presence of background noise.For some, it’s a loved one who points out how loud the television is that calls their attention to their lack of hearing.
The most challenging aspect of hearing loss is the effect it has on our relationships.When people have a hard time communicating, they often start to isolate themselves and avoid social situations where they know they will experience difficulty hearing. Similarly, loved ones may find communicating with a person with a hearing loss too difficult and start to avoid speaking with them. This not only leads to a breakdown in communication, but it can also lead to depression. The combination of isolation and depression is also a sign of dementia. Frequently, a person with a hearing loss may be mistaken for one with dementia, which changes the dynamic of all relationships in that person’s life.
To learn how to speak, we must be able to hear sounds accurately. For this reason, those born with a hearing loss or who develop it during the critical period for speech and language often show delayed speech and language and abnormal patterns. It used to be very easy to identify a person with a hearing loss by the tone of their speech. However, with newborn hearing screenings, we’re able to identify hearing loss at birth and begin amplification and intervention for speech and language very early. These children, when identified at birth, may develop speech and language completely. For those who lose their hearing later in life, we often see other changes in speech. Many who cannot hear clearly cannot regulate the volume of their voice and will speak much louder or softer than they used to. Depending on how soon they adopt the use of amplification, these people may start to pronounce some words differently, leaving out sounds that they are unable to hear clearly.
Tinnitus i.e. Ear Ringing Relieve suggestions:-
Most people experience tinnitus in both ears, called bilateral tinnitus. Less commonly it develops in only one ear, called unilateral tinnitus. Tinnitus may be a sign of injury or dysfunction of the inner ear, and is often associated with age- or noise-related permanent hearing loss. Since tinnitus and hearing loss are sometimes linked, wearing a modern hearing aid for tinnitus can be an effective tinnitus treatment. Around 80% of people suffering from tinnitus also have hearing loss. If you have tinnitus and a hearing loss, however mild, hearing aids may provide relief.
Tinnitus (pronounced tih-NITE-us or TIN-uh-tus) is the perception of sound that does not have an external source, so other people cannot hear it. Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing sound, but some people hear other types of sounds, such as roaring or buzzing. Tinnitus is common, with surveys estimating that 10 to 25% of adults have it. Children can also have tinnitus. For children and adults, tinnitus may improve or even go away over time, but in some cases, it worsens with time. When tinnitus lasts for three months or longer, it is considered chronic. The causes of tinnitus are unclear, but most people who have it have some degree of hearing loss. Tinnitus is only rarely associated with a serious medical problem and is usually not severe enough to interfere with daily life. However, some people find that it affects their mood and their ability to sleep or concentrate. In severe cases, tinnitus can lead to anxiety or depression. Currently, there is no cure for tinnitus, but there are ways to reduce symptoms. Common approaches include the use of sound therapy devices (including hearing aids), behavioral therapies, and medications.
Hearing loss does not necessarily lead to deafness. Many people develop a hearing loss and wear hearing aids very successfully for the rest of their lives. However, when the use of hearing aids is delayed for excessive periods of time, the auditory nerve and auditory cortex will no longer conduct sounds and process sounds as effectively as they once did. This leads to people not liking the sound of hearing aids. Not because of the hearing aids but because of the distortion in the auditory system and problems understanding speech. While it’s true that there is nothing we can do to absolutely prevent a hearing loss from progressing, we know that the earlier a person adopts the use of hearing aids to treat their hearing loss, the better the long-term treatment outcomes will be. For some patients, hearing loss DOES lead to total deafness. Fortunately, the use of cochlear implants has become very commonplace. Even those with the most severe forms of hearing loss can look forward to some type of treatment.