As one of your five senses, your ability to hear is very valuable. Being
able to hear lets you experience the laughter of children, music from
your favorite band, the relaxing sounds of nature, and the words “I love
you.” It warns you when danger is near, or someone is in need of help.
Unfortunately, this sense does not last forever. Your ability to hear
can deteriorate due to age, genetics, disease, and damage, eventually
leading to profound hearing loss for some people.

Ways To Prevent Hearing Loss

While some causes of hearing loss are unavoidable―such as
genetics―others you can control. You can limit exposure to really loud
noises and wear proper protective gear when in range of loud sounds, or
if you suffer a viral infection, take steroids right away (if cleared by
your doctor) to reduce the likelihood of lasting harm to your audial
abilities.

There are Three Kinds of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is defined by its type, configuration, and degree. The
different types are:

  • Conductive:

    • Sounds can’t reach the inner ear.

  • Sensorineural:

    • The inner ear (“nerve”) is damaged.

  • Mixed:

    • A combination of a physical issue with the ear plus nerve loss.

Configuration refers to the way in which your hearing is affected. A
test by an audiologist in Houston can determine the description of your
hearing loss. You may have issues only with high pitches or with all
frequency ranges. Maybe your loss is in one ear or in both ears, with
the loss being the same or different in each ear. Degree means the
extent of your hearing decline: mild, moderate, moderately severe,
severe, or profound.

Profound Deafness Definition

Profound loss of hearing means that you can only register
sounds above 90 decibels. You will not only have trouble with soft
inputs, such as talking but also with loud noises like the sound of
lawnmowers.

Dangerous sounds, such as those from a leaf blower, may
only come in muffled transmissions.

A common treatment is hearing aids in one or both ears. Devices that go
behind your ear offer more power and thus are a popular choice for
profound loss.

You may also have to depend on lip-reading or sign
language for full understanding because as aids can make sound louder,
they cannot make pitches more discernible. It is the job of the
inner ear to detect pitches.

Contact Memorial Hearing Today!

The longer you wait to treat hearing loss, the harder it is to correct.
Contact Memorial Hearing to schedule an appointment with our audiologist
to assess your hearing and how you can benefit from hearing aids in
Houston. You can also call (713) 984-7562 for questions or more information.
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Image Credit: Getty/ AndreyPopov