When you think about a hearing impairment most people will think of their grandparents. They are used to seeing their grandpa or grandma adjusting their hearing aids and that might be the extent of their thoughts on the matter. The interesting thing is that hearing loss is something that covers all walks of life at all ages. There are many reasons that a person may suffer hearing loss. They can lose hearing from listening to sounds that are way above the recommended level. They can be born with some disease that causes their hearing to be diminished over time. They can naturally lose the ability to hear from old age and you can even be born with no hearing at all. There are all sorts of hearing devices that can be used to help increase your ability to hear. A hearing aid is a tool that can be used to give you access to sounds that you otherwise would not be able to hear. Depending on your level of hearing loss a hearing aid will be chosen and fitted to your ear. There are some that can be worn over the ear while others are in the ear and even more specific need surgical intervention.
Deafness: The most extreme level of hearing lose that you can be diagnosed with is deafness which is also known as cophosis. The term deaf refers to a person that lacks the ability to hear sounds that are less than 120 decibels. There are some hearing devices that can help in this instance depending on how much the person is able to hear. There are some people that lack the ability to hear any noise at all and that can be challenging when trying to use a device to increase hearing. The diagnosis can be given by a ear nose and throat specialist.
Profound Hearing Loss: This is the next level of hearing loss you might have. This is something that you can be born with or can happen over time or due to an injury. The inability to hear sounds less than about 90 decibels refers to profound hearing loss. Sufferers are often able to hear enough that they can learn to speak and learn what to listen to. A hearing aid is something that can increase their ability quite a bit.
Moderate Hearing Loss: This is a level of hearing loss that many people can still learn to live with. They are able to hear enough that they can distinguish what is being said and use lip reading as a backup plan. A child that has this level of hearing loss at birth will often find trouble when learning how to speak and the ability to form words correctly.
Mild Hearing Loss: This is a level of hearing loss that is very manageable and many people won’t really see any trouble in their daily life from it. If you whisper to a person that has this level of hearing loss they may struggle to hear but everyday hearing is fine.
ENT Specialists has Audiologists on staff that offer many audiology services including hearing loss testing, hearing aids and cochlear implants. Contact us to schedule a consultation today.
