4 Reasons to Visit an Audiologist

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), roughly 48 million Americans – or one in five – report some degree of hearing loss during their lifetime. That ratio increases to one in three for Americans over the age of 65.

 1. Hearing loss doesn’t discriminate

But hearing loss isn’t limited to adults or aging individuals. The Johns Hopkins Institute reports that 15 percent of school-age children, between six and 19 years old, also have some degree of hearing loss. And straight out of the womb, roughly two to three out of every 1,000 children in the U.S. are born with detectable hearing loss.

As the stats indicate, hearing loss can occur at any age for a myriad of reasons. Many of those reasons are good indicators for an individual to see an audiologist for a hearing check.

2. Several causes of hearing loss

An individual’s hearing should be checked by an audiologist or other hearing healthcare professional if someone has a history of ongoing exposure to loud noises (this can cause noise-induced hearing loss), ear infections or other inner ear diseases, exposure to ototoxic – damaging to hearing – medications or a history of genetic hearing impairment.

3. Other conditions accompany hearing loss

Furthermore, if an individual has experienced dizziness, vertigo or tinnitus – a constant buzzing, ringing or whistling in the ears with no environmental noise present – ear pain or pressure, a ruptured eardrum or a head injury, it is important to make an appointment with an audiologist for a complete check up.

4. Hearing loss symptoms can be hard to notice

Often times, hearing loss gradually occurs over time without any major cause. Many small clues can guide an individual into understanding whether or not to visit an audiologist. For example, if you have difficulty hearing over the telephone, find it difficult to discern conversations between two or more people – especially in a noisy background – are confused about where sounds come from, often ask people to repeat what they said, miss high-pitched sounds like the doorbell or telephone ringing, or have problems hearing or comprehending what women or children say, chances are you’re experiencing some degree of hearing loss.

Visiting an audiologist can help determine the type and degree of hearing loss you may have and, most importantly, figure out a solution to help restore your hearing.