How To Recognize Hearing Problems?

If you are worried that you may have hearing problems, it is important to get the professional assistance you need sooner rather than later. After all, the last thing you want is for the problem to get worse. With that being said, in this blog post, we are going to take a look at the different signs of hearing loss that you should look out for in order to recognize hearing problems. 

What are some of the signs of hearing loss?

There are a number of different symptoms that are associated with hearing loss. This includes all of the following:

• Hypersensitivity to certain sounds, some sounds can create pain or are very bothersome 
• Ringing in the ears
• Turning up the volume of the radio or television
• Asking someone to repeat what they said or to speak more loudly
• Asking other people to speak more clearly or slowly
• Finding it challenging to distinguish speech consonants, for example, difficulty distinguishing the difference between sh and th in speech, as well as t, p, s and f
• Finding it hard to understand what people are saying over the telephone
• Finding it difficult to understand conversations when you are in a place that is noisy like a restaurant
• Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds, an alarm clock, telephone, doorbell or birds
• Sounds seem muffled, like speech 

Early detection and prevention of hearing loss are critical 

You should not wait until signs of hearing loss show up. It is a good idea to get your doctor to examine your hearing on a regular basis. This will ensure that any potential problems are picked up on quickly before they turn into potentially bigger issues. Your doctor then may decide to refer you to a specialist, if you have friends or family that say you are finding it difficult to hear and communicate with them, they feel your hearing has changed, or you have a history of loud noise exposure. 

Tests to diagnose hearing loss

There are a number of different tests that can be carried out in order to determine and diagnose hearing loss. This can include the following:

• A physical exam: With this, your doctor will look in your ear to find potential causes of hearing loss, for example, inflammation from an infection or earwax. Your doctor is going to look for any causes for hearing issues that are structural. 
• An audiometer test: During these tests, which are more thorough, an audiologist will direct words into each ear through the earphones. Each tone is repeated at a faint level in order to locate the quietest sound you can hear.
• Tuning fork tests: Tuning forks are two-pronged, metal instruments, which are used to create sounds when they are struck. Tuning forks represent a simple test that can help your doctor to determine hearing loss. This evaluation may also help to determine where the damage has occurred in your ear as well.
• Hearing tests that are app-based: Mobile apps are available that you can use on your tablet or phone to assist with hearing loss. However, it is advisable to make sure that you do not rely on these. It is so important to make sure you see a professional who can diagnose your hearing loss for you. 
• General screening tests: Finally, you also have general screening tests. Your doctor may use the whisper test. There are a number of other tests that can be carried out here. For example, your doctor may ask if you can cover one ear at a time, enabling you to discover how well-spoken words are heard, so they can determine if you have any hearing problems. Accuracy is often limited with these tests; however, it can be a good starting point for determining whether there is something wrong with your hearing.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of how hearing loss can be diagnosed. The importance of choosing a good hearing instrument specialist to carry out such tests cannot be ignored, though. They will know exactly what tests to use in order to get to the bottom of the hearing loss you are experiencing. Not only can they diagnose hearing problems, but get to the bottom of the cause and extent of it. 

If you are worried that you may have hearing problems, the best thing to do is get in touch with an experienced hearing instrument specialist, such as Armand’s Hearing Center. You can reach them on the following numbers, Bradenton: (941) 357-2054 and Sun City: (813) 990-0335.