What are the First Signs?

The first sign is usually no sign. Age-related hearing loss sneaks up on you. It’s a silent medical condition. Not being able to see a street sign while you are driving or read a menu at a restaurant isn’t something people ignore. But hearing loss is often ignored. Here are some questions to ask yourself and if you answer “yes” to more than one, you likely are having hearing loss issues.

• Do you keep turning up the volume on the television, and it is higher than most other people find acceptable?
• Does it seem like people are speaking in muffled voices?
• Are you asking people to repeat themselves?
• Are you having problems hearing on the phone?
• Are you avoiding social situations because you can’t understand conversation with background noise?
• Do you have dizziness, pain or ringing in your ears?
• Are family members or co-workers telling you that you aren’t hearing what they are saying?
• Do you have trouble understanding women and children?

Will We All Suffer from Hearing Loss?

Age-related hearing loss typically begins in the 50s. Age-related loss, or presbycusis, is due to the death of certain types of cells in the inner ear. These cells sit on hairs in the inner ear and once they are damaged, they don’t grow back.

Sometimes the cells are destroyed due to noise. It could be work-related or hobby-related like target shooing – or even entertainment related. Noise levels at some entertainment events, including in-door sporting events, can rise to a level that is as high as a jet engine noise.

If you come home from work, or an event and it seems like your head feels stuffy and you are having difficulty understanding a conversation, you likely have temporary hearing loss.

Each incident of noise damage also damages the hair cells. If you notice the next day or a couple of hours later that you can hear fine – it’s likely that the hair cells that weren’t damaged are compensating for the ones that were.

What to Do?

Most general practitioners do not routinely screen for hearing loss as part of their exams. And honestly, sitting in a quiet office with the doctor facing you while he or she asks questions isn’t really going to show hearing loss.

We use state-of-the-art equipment and exam techniques at Glendora Hearing to determine to a high degree of accuracy exactly how to best treat your hearing loss.  We work with a number of hearing aid manufacturers and can offer a wide selection of styles and models that use the most up-dated technology. Hearing loss is not a benign condition you should just “deal with” because you feel it is a product of aging. You take care of your eyesight with glasses, contacts or cataract surgery, you take care of your teeth – why would you take care of your hearing?

Today’s hearing aids are practically invisible and some of them fit entirely in the ear and are invisible! They let you stream from your phone or your television or your mobile device directly to your hearing aids. No more cranking up the volume on the television to the dismay of other family members. And, your hearing aids can be adjusted by a tiny remote the size of a car key fob.

If you’ve notice changes in your hearing, contact us at Glendora Hearing. Our team will work with you to determine your hearing health abilities and help you find the best treatment for your needs. Give us a call today and schedule a hearing evaluation.

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