Hearing your favorite sounds is an excellent source of joy and pleasure in life. Unfortunately, for some people, this sense begins to diminish over time for various reasons. Such a decline is known as hearing loss and affects about 15 percent of the adult population.

What Causes Loss of Hearing?

Some people are born with challenges in their ability to hear due to genetics, improper development in the womb, or birth injuries. For others, other various causes may be responsible, including:

  • Age
  • Clogged ear canal
  • Exposure to dangerous noise levels
  • Medication
  • Trauma to the head
  • Viral infections and other diseases

Any of these can lead to you needing to meet with an audiologist in Houston to determine how your hearing has been affected.

Forms of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is categorized by three factors:

1. Type –

  • The type is determined by where the problem occurs in your ear. For example, conductive loss of hearing is when the sound does not reach your eardrum. This type of hearing impairment can sometimes be temporary and fixable. Sensorineural hearing loss describes permanent damage to your auditory nerve or inner ear. Mixed loss of hearing refers to the presence of both kinds of impairment.

2. Configuration –

  • The configuration explains how your hearing loss looks; whether it is in one ear, the different levels of severity in each ear, problems specific to high pitches, etc.

3. Degree –

  • This refers to how significant the loss is; Ranging from mild and going all the way to profound, where sounds as loud as a passing motorcycle are barely registered. Between the two extreme levels are moderate and severe, and some people have a combination of varying degrees.

Mild Hearing Impairment

A mild loss of hearing means sound has to be around 26 to 40 decibels for you to hear it. If sounds are softer, you may have difficulty understanding them or not be able to pick them up at all. Whispering averages at 30 decibels and typical conversation comes in around 55 to 60 decibels. This means that normal communication is still achievable, but talking to a child or soft-spoken person may be hard.

Although normal talking can be heard, it may not be clearly comprehended. For example, voiceless consonants (such as f or p) can be hard to tell apart. Determining the right word spoken by someone may require full attention and contextual tools.

Overcome Hearing Disability in the Houston Area

Life is still manageable with a mild case of hearing loss, yet it can become both inconvenient and irritating. Though the situation can be troublesome, you do not have to resign to frustration. A simple solution is available: hearing aids. To find hearing aids in Houston, contact Memorial Hearing to set up an appointment. It is important to address mild loss right away before it worsens, and we are here to help you. You can also give us a call at (713) 984-7562.