Hearing loss may appear in many forms, and can occur suddenly, as the result of injuries or trauma, or gradually, as the result of the aging process. The experience of hearing loss may range from mild episodes of not being able to hear conversations correctly to extreme periods of total deafness, and may be either permanent or temporary. Either a single ear can be affected by hearing impairment, or both ears.
Probably the most frequently reported symptom of hearing loss is gradually struggling to hear and comprehend conversations correctly. You might perceive other people’s voices as if they were speaking very softly or are too distant to be heard correctly, or their voices may appear to be muffled and indistinct. Or alternatively, you might be able to hear people speaking but discover that you are having difficulty differentiating individual words; this could become more evident when multiple people are speaking simultaneously, or when you are in noisy locations.
Various other common signs of hearing loss include having to increase the volume on your TV or radio, having more difficulty hearing women’s voices than men’s, and the inability to tell sounds such as ‘s’ and ‘th’ from one another. Other forms of hearing loss may be indicated if you experience a persistent ringing in the ears, if you feel pain, tenderness or itching in the ears, and if you experience instances of vertigo or dizziness.
One of the problems with hearing loss is that it may arise so gradually that people are themselves not aware of it. This can occasionally lead to habits or behaviors intended to hide their hearing loss from other people. Examples of these types of signs include asking people to repeat themselves frequently, avoiding dialogues and social situations, acting as if you’ve heard stuff that you really didn’t, and feelings of isolation or depression.
If you have experienced any of these signs or symptoms, schedule an appointment with one of our specialists. They can give you a hearing test to figure out whether you have experienced hearing loss, and if so, can help you do something about it.