HEARING LOSS

Early signs may be subtle – your friend or partner may often repeat herself, or you may have difficulty hearing at a party or family gathering.

As your hearing loss gets worse, it will be more difficult to understand the world around you. It’s important to take action now.

If you are experiencing hearing loss, you are not alone.

In fact hearing loss is very common, affecting around 360 million people worldwide.

And while it is often associated with old age, hard of hearing also affects an increasing number of younger people.

Finding a way to deal with your hearing loss can be a challenge.

From the moment, loss of hearing is suspected or diagnosed, you enter a new world of information and terminology.

A clear, thorough understanding of hearing loss – from the function of our hearing system to the different diagnostic hearing tests – will help provide the base for the decisions and adjustments ahead.

There is significant evidence to suggest that the earlier you react to signs of hearing loss, even a mild hearing loss, the more quality of life will improve in the long term.

In order to fully understand what hearing loss is, it is necessary to understand the function of the hearing system.

The complete hearing system is responsible for our sense of hearing.

It picks up acoustic sound waves and transforms them into neural codes, which can be interpreted by the brain.

The hearing system consists of three main sections:

• The outer ear
• The middle ear
• The inner ear

When there is a damage to any part of the path that sound takes through the hearing system, hearing ability may be comprised.

Only certain types of hearing loss can be treated with medicine or surgery, while most others will benefit from the use of hearing aids.