Health Topics for Hearing

Department of Otolaryngology

Otolaryngology Clinics

Detecting A Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can range from mild to extreme and may be gradual or sudden. A hearing loss that is gradual may not be noticed.

A person may adapt to the loss by using visual cues, such as:

• lip movements

• facial expressions and

• body language of the speaker

Hearing loss can be caused by:

• aging

• injury

• disease

• heredity

• medications or

• noise

Some common complaints by people with hearing loss are:

• difficulty hearing speech clearly

• difficulty hearing over the telephone

• difficulty hearing with a noisy background and

• confusion about where sounds are coming from

If a person cannot hear well, a physician who specializes in diseases of the ear should be consulted. Medical treatment can restore some kinds of hearing loss back to normal. Other kinds of hearing loss are not reversible. Prompt medical care is important when the hearing loss is sudden.

Family or friends may encourage a person to obtain a hearing exam. Parents or teachers often notice that speech or language is not developing normally in a child.

To determine the presence of a hearing loss, an audiologist conducts a hearing test that measures:

• how soft a tone a person can detect at various pitches and

• how well a person can recognize speech at a soft level

A hearing test will determine the type and amount of hearing loss. The results are charted on an audiogram. If a hearing loss is detected, hearing aids or other assistive listening devices can often help. An audiologist can also help a person cope with the hearing loss through education, guidance, and counseling.

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