Articles

Check Out Your Hearing Sensitivity

By Ms. P. Sandhya Reddy : Speech language pathologist and Audiologist

Hearing impairment is a broad term used to describe the loss of hearing of an individual in one or both ears. There are two terms which we need to know, Hearing impairment refers to complete or partial loss of the ability to hear from one or both ears. The level of impairment can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. Deafness refers to the complete loss of ability to hear from one or both ears.

There are basically three types of hearing impairment, defined according to where the problem occurs:

Conductive hearing impairment, which is a problem in the outer or middle ear. This type of hearing problem is often medically or surgically treatable; childhood middle ear infection is the most common example.
Sensorineural hearing impairment, which is a problem in the inner ear, and occasionally with the auditory nerve going from there to the brain. This type of hearing problem is usually permanent and requires rehabilitation, such as with a hearing aid. Common causes are excessive noise and ageing.
Mixed hearing impairment: occurs when one is having a combination of sensorineural & conductive hearing impairment. Early and proper treatment of acute ear infections is crucial to protect children from impairment.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) (2005) estimates, 278 million people worldwide have moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears. The impact of hearing impairment on a child's speech, language, education and social integration depends on the level and type of hearing impairment, and the age of onset, especially if it begins before the age when speech normally develops. The number of people worldwide with all levels of hearing impairment is rising mainly due to a growing global population and longer life expectancies. 50% of deafness and hearing impairment is avoidable through prevention, early diagnosis, and management.

Hearing impairment may be caused before or during birth for several reasons. These include premature birth, conditions during birth in which a baby lacks enough oxygen to breathe, Rubella, Syphilis or certain other infections in a woman during pregnancy, Infectious diseases such as meningitis, measles, mumps, Jaundice, head injury or injury to the ear can cause hearing impairment, Wax or foreign bodies blocking the ear canal can cause hearing loss at any age, excessive noise, including working with noisy machinery, exposure to loud music or other loud noises, such as gunfire or explosions, can damage the inner ear and weaken hearing ability, As people age, accumulated exposure to noise and other factors may lead to hearing impairment or deafness.
There are many objective and subjective procedures which are available to rule out the hearing difficulties of an individual. They are Puretone Audiometry, Impedance Audiometry, Oto Acoustic Emission(OAE), Brain stem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA).
Here are few simple and easy procedures to check out your hearing that helps you to rule out the presence of hearing loss.

The following questions will help you determine if you have a hearing loss and need to have your hearing evaluated:

Do you have a problem hearing over the telephone?
Do you hear better on one ear than the other when you are on the telephone?
Do you have trouble following the conversation when two or more people are talking at the same time?
Do people complain that you turn the TV volume up too high?
Do you have to strain to understand conversation?
Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy background?
Do you have trouble hearing in restaurants?
Do you have dizziness, pain, or ringing in your ears?
Do you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves?
Do family members or co-workers remark about your missing what has been said?
Do many people you talk to seem to mumble (or not speak clearly)?
Do you misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
Do you have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
Do people get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say?

If you have answered more than two questions as yes, then YES you need to consult an Audiologist who is near to your place.