Hearing loss frequently starts out with slight, almost unperceivable changes that can be easy to overlook. Often, it is loved ones who are the first to recognize and bring attention to a person’s hearing problem. While hearing tests are a regular part of childhood, many adults tend to overlook this crucial checkup, unlike routine eye exams that are frequently prioritized.
Clues You May Need a Hearing Test
There are a lot of everyday situations where you might not be hearing everything and definitely not hearing what others are.
- Are you frequently asking people to repeat what they said?
- Are you noticing yourself turning up the volume on your TV?
- Does environmental noise in a busy restaurant make it more difficult to hear and comprehend conversations?
- Are miscommunications or misinterpretations in your personal or professional life causing conflicts?
Such incidents can occur frequently and have a lasting impact on interpersonal relationships.
Important Benefits of Scheduling Regular Hearing Exams
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association standards state that adults should get a hearing assessment every 10 years up until age 50, and adults over the age of 50 should have one every 3 years.
1. Genetics
If your family members are experiencing hearing troubles, it is a good idea to schedule a hearing evaluation with a professional specializing in hearing health.
2. Set Your Baseline Hearing
Once you know your hearing capacity in each ear, you become aware of any problems.
You may be missing certain sounds or experiencing slight hearing problems that could signal the need for additional assessments or interventions.
3. Helps Measure Future Changes
Each new test will compare new information with past assessments. Some changes occur gradually, and the tests will recognize any changes even if you don’t.
4. Helps Diagnose and Treat Early Problems
New tests track changes and how quickly they are happening, which can help identify and treat problems early, including an accumulation of earwax or noise-induced hearing loss.
5. Diagnose Medical Conditions
Sometimes hearing loss is a symptom of an intrinsic medical condition including diabetes and high blood pressure (linked to hearing loss and tinnitus), plus cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. You might be able to relieve hearing loss by managing the medical conditions causing it.
6. Minimize Additional Harm
If a patient does not get treatment, they may experience feelings of depression and anxiety in social situations, resulting in increased seclusion and worsening of their depression. Seniors with hearing problems can have increased accidents when they don’t hear warning signals like car horns, smoke alarms, and other sounds that mean danger. Moreover, untreated hearing loss is associated with dementia and falls.
Getting the Answers You Need
You might have wondered if you’re dealing with some degree of hearing impairment. Now you have answers, including the knowledge that hearing aids will enhance not only your hearing but also your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.
Once your hearing loss is managed with the suitable hearing aids, you’ll be able to hear more efficiently during conversations or work meetings, or simply listen to your child’s laughter or a loved one’s voice.
Contact us if you want to schedule a hearing exam or if you think you are noticing hearing loss.
