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How To Evaluate & Improve Your Hearing
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Business New Haven
11/12/2001
By:
Fiona Phelan
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More than 28 million people - about ten percent of the U.S. population - suffer from some degree of hearing impairment. For about 80 percent of this group, the hearing loss is irreversible. The estimated annual cost of lost productivity, special education and medical care because of untreated hearing loss is $56 billion, according to hearing specialists.
While more than 30 percent of people over 65 have some type of hearing loss, 14 percent of those between 45 and 64 also have hearing loss. Close to eight million people between the ages of 18 and 44 and 7 million children have hearing loss, health statistics state.
What causes hearing loss and how do you recognize and treat it? Hearing loss usually develops gradually and painlessly and may not be noticeable until someone else notices the problem. Potential causes of hearing loss include exposure to loud or constant noise; inherited medical conditions; illness; aging; traumatic injury; certain medications; and tumors.
According to medical experts there are two principal types of hearing loss: conductive hearing loss is caused by disease or through malformation or damage to the outer or middle ear. Blockage in the auditory canal or damage to the eardrum or middle ear prevents sound waves from reaching the inner ear. This type of hearing loss can usually be correct medically or with surgery.
Hearing loss where sound waves are conducted normally but messages are not transmitted properly to the brain is called sensorineural hearing loss. This form of hearing loss can be caused by aging, disease, infection, tumors, heredity or injuries to the head or inner ear. This form of hearing loss cannot be treated medically or surgically. People with this type of hearing loss are usually treated with hearing aids. In fact, 95 percent of all hearing-aid users have sensorineural hearing loss.
The most common hearing disorder is otitis media, or ear infection, in which the ear canal fills with fluid. This condition affects 70 percent of all infants and children, with treatment costs annually exceeding $1 billion in the U.S.
While ear infections affect the very young, presbycusis - high-frequency hearing loss - is the most prevalent hearing loss condition that occurs with age. Also, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) affects approximately 50 million, with people over age 50 twice as likely to suffer from it. For 12 million people, tinnitus is so severe that they are incapacitated. Almost 70 percent of those with tinnitus also have hearing loss.
Symptoms of hearing loss, according to audiologists, include: difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds such as women's and children's voices, as well as birds singing; difficulty hearing at public gatherings where sound sources are far from the listener; difficulty understanding conversations within a group of people or on the telephone.
People with mild hearing loss often employ a variety of measures to cope with their condition rather than seeking professional help. For instance, sufferers may turn up the volume on the television to a level that disturbs others; they may consistently ask people to repeat themselves or to speak more loudly; they may avoid social situations such as restaurants or parties where noise can make it difficult to hear normal conversation; or they may turn their head to one side while listening.
If you have any concerns about your hearing or that of a loved one, make an appointment with your primary-care physician for a hearing test. Your physician can refer you to an audiologist or ear, nose and throat specialist for more in-depth testing if necessary. Some facilities and hospitals offer free hearing tests.
A hearing test is painless, comfortable and safe. The test includes checking the ability to recognize everyday words at different volume levels and to hear different tones. The information from the test is used to determine the type and severity of hearing loss and whether the patient might benefit from hearing aids.
Today's choices in hearing aids are wide-ranging. The devices are no longer the large, clunky machines worn behind the ear. The smallest and least visible aid is available is the CIC or "completely in the canal" aid which is appropriate for those with mild to moderately severe hearing loss, audiologists say.
An "in the canal" device protrudes slightly from the ear canal and is used by patients with a wide range of hearing loss. "In the ear" models fit securely in the outer ear and are often easier to position and adjust. These devices often have user options such as telephone pick-up and tone controls.
Behind-the-ear aids - the type most people associate with hearing aids - are connected to a shell that is placed behind the ear. This type of aid has a wide range of programming options and can easily be used with telephones. There is also a body hearing aid that consists of a portable case that can be carried in a pocket with a cord connecting the aid to a receiver in the ear. These types of aid are the most powerful and are used for those with the most severe hearing loss.
Those who work in noisy environments should protect their ears by wearing earplugs or muffs (that look like a headset). Keep the volume low on your stereo, television or other audio equipment, especially in closed environments like the car. Guard against ear infections and earaches by wearing a hat during outdoor activities.
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