The next time you make a trip into town, take the time to pick up some earplugs. When wearing them, you'll see, first hand, how hard everyday tasks become. It's a strain to have a simple conversation. Enjoying the radio is impossible and viewing television is a struggle. If you are having difficulty hearing will also have trouble perceiving movement in your home. Hearing loss prevents you from catching the sounds of doors closing, timers ringing on stove, and air conditioners whirring.
This is what it's like being isolated because of hearing impairment. The good news is that for most people, hearing loss can be prevented. Fundamentally, there are two kinds of hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss occurs when sounds are unable to reach the middle ear, which is where the interpretation of the sound takes place.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when sounds can reach the inner ear, but are either made quieter or misinterpreted due to damage to the inner ear fibers, the auditory nerve, or the brain. Usually tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ear, accompanies this form of hearing loss. Many people will attest to the fact that this condition is worse than the hearing loss. It takes a physician or audiologist to determine which kind of hearing loss you are suffering from. They will use a combination of your health history and diagnostic exams. A diagnosis is given after you have a hearing test.
In the case of conductive hearing loss, treatment may be as elementary as extracting wax from the ear canal, or as complex as surgery for otosclerosis, which involves the bones of the middle ear. Instances of sensorineural losses will require treatment ranging from digital hearing aids to cochlear implants.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to leave the area or put in ear plugs if you need to raise your voice in order to talk to others over the background noise. Baby boomers who loved their loud rock and roll are paying dearly for it now. Some of us spent time in the military or participated in shooting sports without protection and now suffer the same loss. Other sound sources of permanent hearing damage are motors, machines, munitions, and music. By the age of 55, it's been stated that 20% of adults have some hearing loss, and by age 65, it will have affected 33%. Fortunately, age-related hearing loss is not a condition that usually develops into total deafness.
Sometimes, people have a tumor that affects the healing nerve, called a acoustic neuroma, which usually causes hearing loss in one ear. While the tumor grows slowly, without surgical treatment it can cause total hearing loss. There are many people who have had to deal with chronic ear infections (including middle-ear infections), mumps, measles, scarlet fever, and meningitis. These diseases and conditions should be evaluated by a doctor, as they can culminate in hearing loss.
Anything that is blocking the ear canal can interefere with the transmission of sound. This includes ear wax which is pushed deeper into the ear canal by people who aggressively clean their ears with cotton swabs. Swabs can be used lightly. But if you are prone to a wax build-up, you should consult your doctor for suggestions. There are times when there's extra fluid due to infections or allergies, as well as a hardening of the bones in the middle ear.
Hearing can be adversely affected by some medications such as those for malaria, heart anti-arrhythmics, some antibiotics, and even aspirin. Your hearing can be damaged by trauma, as well. A hole punched through the eardrum, skull fractures, noise trauma (gunfire, fireworks) and pressure trauma (underwater diving or pressurized airplane cabins) are all serious causes of damage to the ability to hear. To prevent hearing loss, wear earplugs anytime you are around loud noices. If you are someone who like to mow your own lawn, uses power tools on a regular basis, or is into target shooting, video games, or loud movies you should think seriously about wearing earplugs.
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