You may have more hearing loss than you think. Hearing loss most often comes on so gradually that you don’t realize you have a problem until long after you could have gotten help for it.
- If you are a Baby Boomer, you may have exposed yourself to a lot of loud music at rock concerts long ago that, accumulated with a lifetime of other assaults on your hearing, are starting to diminish the quantity and quality of sound you hear.
- If you are a younger “Gen-X” or “Millenial,” you have been exposed to more environmental noise than any other generation in the history of the world. Plus you may have spent a lot of time with iPod ear-buds in your ears, which can lead directly to hearing loss if played too loudly over too long a period.
Initially, you may notice that you can’t understand what people are saying as easily as you used to — maybe you can’t hear the person in the back seat of your car or at the end of the conference table. Or maybe you are asking people to repeat themselves more often than in the past, without even realizing that it’s because your hearing is diminished. It’s a good idea to get your hearing checked frequently, especially if you are in your thirties, forties, or older, or if you’ve been in an occupation like construction, firefighting or the military that routinely exposes you to a lot of continuous loud noise.
But even if you live the quiet life of a librarian, environmental noise from traffic, airplanes and other sources is often enough to damage your hearing over time. So get your hearing tested today. A standard hearing test can be administered by any hearing health professional such as an audiologist, otolaryngologist (or ENT, for “ear-nose-throat” doctor), or certified hearing aid fitter. The test provides you with an audiogram that maps the hearing losses you may have across all frequencies, providing a guide for programming hearing aids.
Once you’ve seen a professional, you can start on your journey toward better hearing. Click on the following links to find out more:
- Click here to find a qualified hearing health professional near you.
- Click here to learn more about hearing tests and audiograms.
- Click here for advice on how to buy a hearing aid.
- Click here to find out about types of hearing loss.
- Click here to find out about causes of hearing loss.
- Click here for information on tinnitus and other noises in your ears.
- Click here to learn about cochlear implants and other surgical solutions.