Hearing Evaluation & Testing

Hearing Evaluation & Testing

Hearing loss affects approximately 17 in 1,000 children under age 18.

Hearing loss can be a gradual process, often taking years before an individual notices difficulty hearing. Approximately 30 percent of people over age 65 have a hearing loss and approximately 45 percent of people over age 75 have a hearing loss.

Primary Causes of Hearing Loss

• Excessive noise (i.e. construction, rock music, gun shot, etc)
• Aging (presbycusis)
• Infections (otitis media)
• Injury to the head or ear
• Birth defects or genetics
• Ototoxic reaction to drugs or cancer treatment (i.e. antibiotics, chemotherapy, radiation)

What are Some Symptoms of Hearing Loss?

• Frequently asking others to repeat themselves
• Often avoiding social situations
• Difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations
• Feel that people are mumbling when they speak to you
• Turning the television volume up so loud that others complain
• Often misunderstanding conversations
• Having to look at the speaker’s face carefully to follow conversation
• Difficulty hearing in church or an auditorium
• Ringing in the ear(s)