Do You Have a Hearing Loss?

Last Updated: July 1, 2003

About one-third of Americans older than age 60 have hearing problems. About half the people who are 85 and older have hearing loss. Whether a hearing loss is small (missing certain sounds) or large (being profoundly deaf), it is a serious concern. If left untreated, problems can get worse.

Hearing loss can affect your life in many ways. You may miss out on talks with friends and family. On the telephone, you may find it hard to hear what the caller is saying. At the doctor’s office, you may not catch the doctor’s words.

Sometimes hearing problems can make you feel embarrassed, upset, and lonely. It’s easy to withdraw when you can’t follow a conversation at the dinner table or in a restaurant. It’s also easy for friends and family to think you are confused, uncaring, or difficult, when the problem may be that you just can’t hear well.

If you have trouble hearing, there is help. Start by seeing your doctor. Depending on the type and extent of your hearing loss, there are many treatment choices that may help. Hearing loss does not have to get in the way of your ability to enjoy life.

How do I know if I have a hearing loss?
See your doctor if you:

• Have trouble hearing over the telephone
• Find it hard to follow conversations when two or more people are talking
• Need to turn up the TV volume so loud that others complain
• Have a problem hearing because of background noise
• Sense that others seem to mumble
• Can’t understand when women and children speak to you

What should I do?
If you have trouble hearing, see your doctor. Sometimes the diagnosis and treatment can take place in the doctor’s office. Or your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist, a doctor who specializes in the ear, nose, and throat. The otolaryngologist will take a medical history, ask if other family members have hearing problems, do a thorough exam, and suggest any needed tests.

You may be referred to an audiologist. Audiologists are health care professionals trained to measure hearing. The audiologist will use an audiometer to test your ability to hear sounds of different pitch and loudness. These tests are painless. Audiologists can help if you need a hearing aid. They can help select the best hearing aid for you and help you learn to get the most from it.

What causes hearing loss?
Hearing loss can have many different causes, including the aging process, ear wax buildup, exposure to very loud noises over a long period of time, viral or bacterial infections, heart conditions or stroke, head injuries, tumors, certain medicines, and heredity.

Different types of hearing loss
Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss. It is common in people over the age of 50. People with this kind of hearing loss may have a hard time hearing what others are saying or may be unable to stand loud sounds. The decline is slow. Just as hair turns gray at different rates, presbycusis can develop at different rates.

Presbycusis can be caused by sensorineural hearing loss. This type of hearing loss results from damage to parts of the inner ear, the auditory nerve, or hearing pathways in the brain. The degree of hearing loss varies from person to person. Also, a person can have a different amount of hearing loss in each ear.

Tinnitus accompanies many forms of hearing loss, including those that sometimes come with aging. The person may hear a ringing, roaring, or some other noise inside the ears. Tinnitus can come and go, it can stop completely, or it can stay. Some medicines may help ease the problem. Wearing a hearing aid makes it easier for some people to hear the sounds they need to hear by making them louder. Maskers, small devices that use sound to make tinnitus less noticeable, help other people. Music can be beneficial. It also helps to avoid things that might make tinnitus worse, like smoking, alcohol, and loud noises.

Conductive hearing loss happens when something blocks the sounds that are carried from the eardrum (tympanic membrane) to the inner ear. Ear wax buildup, fluid in the middle ear, abnormal bone growth, a punctured eardrum, or a middle ear infection can cause this type of hearing loss.

Assistive/Adaptive Devices
In addition to hearing aids, there are many products that can help you live well with less-than-perfect hearing. The list below includes some examples of the many choices:

Telephone amplifying devices range from a special type of telephone receiver that makes sounds louder to special phones that work with hearing aids.

TV and radio listening systems can be used with or without hearing aids. You do not have to turn the volume up high.

Assistive listening devices are available in some public places such as auditoriums, movie theaters, churches, synagogues, and meeting places.

Alerts such as doorbells, smoke detectors, and alarm clocks can give you a signal that you can see or a vibration that you can feel. For example, a flashing light could let you know someone is at the door or that the phone is ringing.

Cochlear implants. If your deafness is severe, a doctor may suggest cochlear implants. In this surgery, the doctor puts a small electronic device under the skin behind the ear. The device sends the message past the non-working part of the inner ear and on to the brain. This process helps some people hear. These implants are not helpful for all types of deafness or hearing loss.

Go to “Hearing Loss” and read what audiologist Karen Goetz says about today’s treatments.

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