Hearing loss can be frustrating and even dangerous. If you have hearing loss, you may:
Hearing problems can get worse if they are not treated. That’s why it’s important to get your hearing checked.
If you find out you have a hearing problem, you can take steps to deal with it before it gets worse.
Source: National Health Information Center
If you are over age 65, get your hearing checked. Many people lose their hearing slowly as they age.
If you have hearing loss, you are not alone. Start by asking your doctor for a hearing test. Your doctor may refer you to a hearing specialist.
Source: National Health Information Center
|
150
|
Firecracker |
|
120
|
Ambulance siren |
|
110
|
Chain saw, Rock concert |
|
105
|
Personal stereo system at maximum level |
|
100
|
Wood shop, Snowmobile |
|
95
|
Motorcycle |
|
90
|
Power mower |
|
85
|
Heavy city traffic |
|
60
|
Normal conversation |
|
40
|
Refrigerator humming |
|
30
|
Whispered voice |
Protect Your Ears:
Know which noises can cause damage. Wear ear plugs when you are involved in a loud activity.
110 Decibels
Regular exposure of more than 1 minute risks permanent hearing loss.
100 Decibels
No more than 15 minutes of unprotected exposure recommended.
85 Decibels
Prolonged exposure to any noise at or above 85 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss.
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Hearing Loss: It occurs due to daily exposure to excessive noise in the work place, by continous receiving of phone calls , listening music in large volume, all the time using the earphone etc. It can be by birth or due to exposure to the noisy environment. One can get hearing loss problem on one ear only or in both the ears. Hearing loss can lead to deafness.
Hearing Aid: Hearing aid is a small electronic device that can be wore either in or behind the ear.It makes the sounds a bit louder so that after wearing a person can participate in daily activities.It can help people in both quiet and noisy situations. It consists of three parts: a microphone, amplifier and a speaker.The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ear through a speaker.
Use of a cochlear implant requires both a surgical procedure and significant therapy to learn or relearn the sense of hearing. Not everyone performs at the same level with this device. The decision to receive an implant should involve discussions with medical specialists, including an experienced cochlear-implant surgeon. The process can be expensive. For example, a person’s health insurance may cover the expense, but not always. Some individuals may choose not to have a cochlear implant for a variety of personal reasons. Surgical implantations are almost always safe, although complications are a risk factor, just as with any kind of surgery. An additional consideration is learning to interpret the sounds created by an implant. This process takes time and practice. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists are frequently involved in this learning process. Prior to implantation, all of these factors need to be considered.
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health
Children and adults who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing can be fitted for cochlear implants. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), at the end of 2006, more than 112,000 people worldwide had received implants. In the United States, roughly 23,000 adults and 15,500 children have received them.
Adults who have lost all or most of their hearing later in life often can benefit from cochlear implants. They learn to associate the signal provided by an implant with sounds they remember. This often provides recipients with the ability to understand speech solely by listening through the implant, without requiring any visual cues such as those provided by lipreading or sign language.
Cochlear implants, coupled with intensive postimplantation therapy, can help young children to acquire speech, language, and social skills. Most children who receive implants are between two and six years old. Early implantation provides exposure to sounds that can be helpful during the critical period when children learn speech and language skills. In 2000, the FDA lowered the age of eligibility to 12 months for one type of cochlear implant.
Source: National Institutes of Health
It’s frustrating to be unable to hear well enough to enjoy talking with friends or family. Hearing disorders make it hard, but not impossible, to hear. They can often be helped. Deafness can keep you from hearing sound at all.
What causes hearing loss? Some possibilities are
* Heredity
* Diseases such as ear infections and meningitis
* Trauma
* Certain medicines
* Long-term exposure to loud noise
* Aging
There are two main types of hearing loss. One happens when your inner ear or auditory nerve is damaged. This type is permanent. The other kind happens when sound waves cannot reach your inner ear. Earwax build-up, fluid or a punctured eardrum can cause it. Untreated, hearing problems can get worse. If you have trouble hearing, you can get help. Possible treatments include hearing aids, special training, certain medicines and surgery.
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
If a hearing loss is ignored or untreated, it can get worse. But a hearing loss that is identified early can be helped through treatment, such as hearing aids, certain medicines, and surgery.
Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing problem and may need to have your hearing checked by a doctor.
* Do I have a problem hearing on the telephone?
* Do I have trouble hearing when there is noise in the background?
* Is it hard for me to follow a conversation when two or more people talk at once?
* Do I have to strain to understand a conversation?
* Do many people I talk to seem to mumble or not speak clearly?
* Do I misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
* Do I often ask people to repeat themselves?
* Do I have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
* Do people complain that I turn the TV volume up too high?
* Do I hear a ringing, roaring, or hissing sound a lot?
* Do some sounds seem too loud?
If you think that you have a hearing problem, schedule an appointment with your family doctor. In some cases, he or she can identify the problem and prescribe treatment.
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Hearing loss happens for many reasons. Some people lose their hearing slowly as they age. This condition is called presbycusis. Doctors do not know why presbycusis happens, but it seems to run in families.
Another cause is the ear infection otitis media, which can lead to long-term hearing loss if it is not treated.
If your hearing loss is severe and of a certain type, your doctor may suggest that you talk to a surgeon who specializes in ear, nose, and throat diseases, called an otolaryngologist, about a cochlear implant.
A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that the surgeon places under the skin and behind the ear. The device picks up sounds, changes them to electrical signals, and sends them past the non-working part of the inner ear and on to the brain.
Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine
