Hearing Loss Overview
The human ear is capable of hearing sound from 0 dBhL (faintest sound perceivable by a normal adult) to about 140 dBhL (the noise of a jet engine within 250 yards). Hearing impairment can be classified as follows:
- Normal (0 to 20 dBhL)
- Mild (cannot hear below 40 dBhL)
- Moderate (cannot hear below 60 dBhL)
- Moderately severe (cannot hear below 75 dBhL)
- Severe (cannot hear below 75 – 90 dBhL)
- Profound (cannot hear 90+ dBhL)
Hearing disability can be congenital (from birth) or acquired (through a loud work environment). It can be managed through mechanical hearing devices or surgical interventions.
While a hearing disability is looked upon as a social stigma, it must be discussed and acted upon. Because, many times, acquired hearing disabilities can get worse with time. As hearing abilities get worse, people start experiencing problems with everyday life, like driving in the traffic, daily communication, etc. This can cause depression, frustration and other emotional problems. Hence, timely intervention in hearing impairment is very important.
Hearing loss can have a heavy impact on our lifestyle because we rely on our hearing abilities for our day-to-day tasks. A consult an ENT & Audiologist to rule out the cause of hearing loss. If your hearing loss is due to a problem in outer or middle ear it is medically treated either with medicine or surgery. If the problem is in the inner ear along with medicine you should use hearing aids so that your condition does not get worse. Using good-quality hearing aids will help you listen better and take good care of your hearing health. This will prevent your mild hearing loss from getting converted into moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss.
While choosing or shortlisting hearing aids, remember that not all hearing aids deal with the type of hearing loss you might be suffering from at the moment. Hearing aids offer multiple features, and you should compare them while selecting a hearing aid. Talk to an Audiologist and learn about your condition before you start looking for hearing aids. Random selection, in this case, is not going to help you.
