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Common Questions
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Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. This loss generally occurs when some of the hair cells within cochlea are damaged. Hearing loss leads to feeling loneliness, anxiety or depression. Hearing loss is associated with stress, cognitive impairment and high blood pressure.
Symptoms of hearing loss:
- Trouble in understanding speech.
- Frequently asking people to repeat themselves.
- Volume issues
- Tinnitus -Perception of ringing, buzzing, or hissing sounds in the ears.
- Feeling isolated or avoiding social situations due to difficulty in hearing and communicating effectively.
- Speaking louder, Difficulty hearing soft sounds.
- Difficulty hearing on the phone.
- Ear aches or discomfort
- Need high volume: Frequently turning up the volume of TV, radio or other devices.
- Ear balance problems or Dizziness.
Impact on daily life:
- Difficulties in communicating with others
- Impact on relationships
- Increased the risk of depression, anxiety and social isolation
- Impaired hearing can pose safety risks, especially in traffic or emergency situations.
- Support groups
- Assistive listening devices
- Communication strategies
- Frequently ask others to repeat themselves.
- Difficulty with hearing on the phone.
- Presbycusis (Aging)
- Noisy environment
- Turn the radio or tv to a volume louder than other people need.
- Have trouble to understanding conversations in noisy places.
- Answer or respond inappropriately in conversations.
- Told by others that you should get your hearing checked.
- Avoid social situations that you once found enjoyable.
- Ear infections.
- Severe hearing loss- Severe hearing loss is also known as profound hearing loss. This means you can hear some sounds but very poorly. Severe hearing loss is a level of hearing impairment that makes it difficult to hear speech at a normal level.
Common causes:
- Aging
- Head trauma
- Genetic conditions
- Infections
- Medications
- Illness
- Exposure to loud noises
- Tumours
- Growth
Symptoms:
- Difficulty in hearing conversations
- Avoid social interactions
- Inability to hear some sounds, like mobile ringtone, calling bell
- Trouble understanding words, especially in noisy places
- Turn tv, radio or other audio devices to a volume louder than other people need.
- Conductive hearing loss- Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound waves travel effectively through the external auditory canal, the ear drum or the middle ear.
Common causes:
- Ear infection
- Muffled hearing
- Earwax build up/ Blockage of ear canal
- Hole in eardrum
- Abnormal bone growth in middle ear
- Tumours
- Allergies
- Presence of foreign bodies
- Middle ear may be impacted with fluids
- Ear ache
- Sudden loss of hearing
- Dizziness
- Sensorineural hearing loss- Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by a problem in the inner ear (Cochlea) or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. In children, Sensorineural hearing loss may have difficulty in hearing and understanding speech. It cannot cure medicines or surgery.
Common causes:
- Aging (Presbycusis)
- Infections
- Medications
- Genetic conditions
- Diseases
- Listening loud noises
- Head trauma
- Malformation of the inner ear
- Tumours
- Mixed hearing loss- Mixed hearing loss is the
combination of conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. It means the damage to the both outer or middle ear and inner ear (Cochlea) or auditory nerve.
Common causes:
- Mixed hearing loss are due to pathology of both middle ear and inner ear, as can occur in otosclerosis involving the ossicles and cochlea, head trauma, chronic otitis media, Cholesteatoma, middle ear tumours and some inner ear malformations, Tumours and diseases, Medications, Noise exposure, Ear wax, Head injury, Neoplasm, Genetic disorders, Infections, Head trauma.
- Consult ENT doctors
- Protect your hearing
- Get proper hearing test
- Hearing assistive devices
- Cochlear implants
- Ear protection devices
- Telephone & listening devices
- Remove earwax
- Practice good communication
- Communication repair strategies
- Reduce background noise
- Yoga
- Vitamins
- If you have signs of hearing loss, you must take a hearing test.
- Exposure to loud noises.
- Hearing test can detect early signs of hearing loss or poor hearing.
- Test can prevent cognitive decline, Dementia, Alzheimer’s diseases.
- Symptoms like difficulty in understanding speech, frequently ask peoples to repeat themselves.
- To preventing long term complications.
- Test can determine other ear related issues.
- Avoid excessive noises.
- Use hearing protection- Wear earplugs /noise cancelling headphones in noisy environments.
- When using headphones, keep the volume below 60% and limit listening to 60 minutes time.
- Maintain healthy lifestyle.
- Exercise regularly.
- Treat ear infections.
- Proper hydration.
- Practice medications- Some medications can cause permanent hearing loss. So, must be aware of medication side effects.
- Protect ears from cold.
- Treat earwax build up.
- Take hearing test regularly.
- For children, Encourage safe listening practices from a young age.
- Try fine-tuning your focus on noises
Hearing aids are one of the best solutions for hearing loss. A hearing aid is a small electronic device designed to amplify
sound, improving hearing and speech comprehension. When you experience difficulty hearing, a hearing aid placed in or behind your ear detects external sounds, amplifies them based on the severity of your hearing loss, and transmits the amplified sounds to your ear. This helps you hear more clearly and enhances your overall listening experience.
Hearing aid work by amplifying sound waves and delivering them to the ear, making sound louder and clearer for individuals with hearing loss. The basic components of hearing aids are microphone, amplifier, speaker, all working together to enhance the auditory experience.
- Severity of hearing loss
- Having hearing test
- Your life style
- Ease of handling
- Cost of Hearing aid
- Warranty
- Features
- Find the right aid
- Size and shape of your ear
- Fit
- Know about new hearing aid technologies
- Clean hearing aid daily- Use a soft or dry cloth, gently wipe to the exterior.
- Use the small brush to remove earwax from the microphone and receiver.
- Clean earmold or tips using brush.
- Replace dead batteries immediately.
- Avoid moisture & heat.
- Keep hearing aids from water.
- Store hearing aid properly overnight- Firstly remove batteries from Hearing aids (In battery models). To store your hearing aid in dehumidifier or drying case to prevent sweat, wet environments.
- Turn off your hearing aids after use to save battery life.
- Use cleaning kit.
- Check sound quality - Checks for any blockage in microphone or receiver.
- Use hearing aid covers, if you are engaging with in activities that you cause sweat.
- Regular check-up and maintenance.
- Avoid hair care products like hair spray & other care products.