Hearing loss frequently begins with mild, almost imperceptible changes that can be easy to miss. Actually, it is normally family and friends who alert somebody to their hearing issue. While hearing exams are a regular part of childhood, many adults tend to overlook this important checkup, unlike regular eye exams that are often prioritized.
Clues You May Need a Hearing Exam
There are a lot of everyday instances where you might not be hearing everything and certainly not hearing what others are.
- Do you often request people to repeat what they said?
- Are you finding yourself turning up the volume on your TV?
- Is it difficult to hear everyone at a loud restaurant?
- Are there misunderstandings at work or at home leading to disputes?
These type of situations can happen on a day-to-day basis and continue to impact relationships.
Specific Reasons to Have Your Hearing Assessed Regularly
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association standards state that adults should get a hearing assessment every 10 years up until age 50, and adults over the age of 50 should have one every 3 years.
1. Family History
If other members of your family have hearing problems, this is an excellent reason to set up a hearing test with a hearing specialist.
2. Establish a Reference Point for Your Current Hearing Level
Once you know your hearing capacity in each ear, you become aware of any issues. You might be missing certain sounds or experiencing slight hearing problems that could signal the need for additional assessments or interventions.
3. Helps Gauge Future Changes
Every fresh test will evaluate recent data together with previous tests. Certain adjustments take place slowly, and the tests will identify any changes that might not be obvious to you.
4. Helps in Recognizing and Managing Problems at an Early Stage
Advanced diagnostic tools now keep track of changes and their rate of advancement, enabling healthcare professionals to recognize and address issues, such as excessive earwax accumulation or noise-related hearing damage, at an early stage.
5. Identify Health Problems
In some cases, hearing loss can be an indicator of a more serious underlying health issue, including diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or kidney disease, all of which have been connected to hearing problems and tinnitus. Managing the underlying medical conditions that are causing it could possibly reduce hearing loss.
6. Prevent Further Damage
When a patient doesn’t get treatment, they can become depressed and fear social settings, encouraging isolation and further depression. Seniors who have hearing problems can have increased injuries when they don’t hear warning signals like car horns, smoke alarms, and other sounds that indicate danger. Additionally, research has shown a link between unaddressed hearing loss and an elevated risk of developing dementia and experiencing falls.
Getting the Answers You Need
Perhaps you have suspected you have a hearing loss. You now have the information you require, including the awareness that hearing aids can have a positive impact on multiple facets of your life, enhancing not only your ability to hear, but also your connections with loved ones, colleagues, and social circle.
After getting the correct hearing aids to address your hearing loss, you will experience enhanced listening ability in conversations, work meetings, and while enjoying the sounds of your child’s laughter or a loved one’s voice.
Contact us if you want to schedule a hearing test or if you think you are experiencing hearing loss.