Do I have a hearing loss?
"I am sure that if people had to choose between living where the noise of children never stopped and where it was never heard, all the good-natured and sound people would prefer the incessant noise to the incessant silence." George Bernard Shaw
Many people, when they hear the word ‘deaf’, imagine that being deaf means a total lack of hearing, but there are different levels of hearing loss, from mild to profound. Our article When hearing goes wrong explains more about what the different descriptions of deafness mean.
Signs of hearing loss
Often the signs of hearing loss come on gradually and the early stages of hearing loss may not be noticed at first. Signs that you may have a hearing loss though may include:
- other people seem to mumble
- people often have to repeat things for you
- you have difficulty understanding what is being said in noisy places
- things sound generally ‘dull’ and music may not sound as ‘full” as it used to
- you find it hard to keep up with group conversations and you get tired because you have to concentrate hard
- other people think your television or music is too loud
- you often have difficulty hearing on the telephone
What should I do if I think I have a hearing loss?
Many people who experience hearing loss are embarrassed by it and try to hide it. It is worrying to think that you may be losing your hearing, but the sooner you seek help, the better. There is a lot of help for people who have problems with hearing.
The first step is to visit your doctor to have your ears checked. You should never purchase a private hearing aid without first having your hearing checked. Hearing naturally deteriorates as we age, and though there is no ‘cure’ for deafness, a lot of help is available. Hearing loss that starts before the age of 60 or a sudden significant hearing loss is always a cause for concern and should be investigated.
You should explain to your doctor why you think you have a hearing loss, the situations you have difficulties with, and how it affects your day to day life.
Your doctor will examine your ears using an instrument called an otoscope to look for obvious problems such as a build up of wax. They may be able to carry out simple tests with a tuning fork, but will usually refer you to the audiology clinic or the ENT department of your local hospital to have hearing tests. If the hearing test shows you have a hearing loss, there is a lot of help that is available, not just hearing aids. Our article Coping with hearing loss explains some of the help that is available.
