Understanding Hearing Loss: Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Hearing loss can develop at any stage of life, often so gradually that you may not notice until everyday conversations become more difficult. Some types of hearing loss can be helped through treatments like hearing aid or medical care, so it’s important to learn the signs and talk to an Audiologist if you suspect an issue. 

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

Many people realize they have a hearing problem when they start missing words in a conversation or regularly ask others to repeat themselves. Another common sign is turning the TV or music volume up higher than friends or family find comfortable. Some individuals notice ringing or buzzing in their ears, known as tinnitus. Over time, these symptoms can lead to feelings of frustration, social withdrawal, or fatigue from trying so hard to follow what people are saying.

Contact us today if you notice any of these symptoms of hearing loss:

  • Words sound unclear and/or muffled
  • The din of crowds and/or background noise makes it harder to hear what you’re trying to listen to
  • You keep turning up the volume
  • It’s hard to hear the softer sounds of dialogue in a movie or play
  • You’re avoiding or disengaging from social settings because hearing is a challenge
  • You’re struggling with basic cognitive functions like memory

Causes of Hearing Loss

One of the most frequent causes is age-related wear and tear on the inner ear, which can make it harder to process sounds clearly. Loud environments, such as concerts or certain workplaces, can also damage hearing over time. Some medications impact inner ear function, especially if taken in strong doses or over long periods. Illnesses and infections may affect the middle ear, and even earwax buildup can block sound from passing through. Head injuries or repeated exposure to extremely loud noises can also trigger hearing problems.

Some of the most common causes of hearing loss include:

Congenital Issues

Birth defects or congenital issues are the most common causes of hearing loss, whether it’s occurring early in life (infants and children) or later (adults).

Physical Obstruction

If something obstructs your ear canal, hearing impairment can be the result. Hearing can usually be improved if the obstructions are removed.

Infection

Severe or chronic ear infections can cause damage to your hearing, in some cases resulting in hearing loss.

Noise Damage

Overly loud noise (sounds above an 85 dB threshold can damage the ears and cause chronic hearing loss, particularly with repeated exposure.

Age

While age is a known cause, it can be difficult to differentiate between age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss. In many cases, there is no functional difference.

Trauma

Certain types of trauma—such as a traumatic brain injury or an injury to the ear itself—can cause short-term or long-term hearing loss.

Types of Hearing Loss

The most common type is sensorineural hearing loss, which happens when inner ear structures or the auditory nerve are harmed. Conductive hearing loss occurs when something prevents sound from moving through the outer or middle ear—like fluid, a punctured eardrum, or too much earwax. Sometimes both issues appear together, creating mixed hearing loss. Knowing which type you have is key to finding the best solution.

Treatments for Hearing Loss

Many people benefit from hearing aids that make sounds louder and clearer, often with features like background noise reduction or rechargeable batteries. Assistive listening devices, such as TV amplifiers and smartphone apps, can also help in specific situations like phone calls or watching movies.

Many modern hearing aids are equipped with machine learning-enabled sound balancing, which makes sounds clearer and voices sharper for better listening and communication. Bluetooth connectivity can help connect you to the people and devices all around you. Every piece of hearing aid technology is designed to help you maintain your quality of life.

Promptly addressing hearing loss as soon as symptoms appear may deliver the following benefits:

Slowing the progression of hearing loss.
 With hearing aids, you won’t need to continuously increase the volume of the TV or music you’re listening to, which can prevent worsening noise damage to your ears.
Helping you stay socially active. 
Due to the strain that hearing loss can put on communication, social isolation is a common—and very unfortunate—experience for those with hearing challenges. Fixing the hearing loss can help you become more fully present around your friends, family, and neighbors again.
Lowering your risk of depression and anxiety. 
The social isolation that comes with hearing loss can lead to issues with your mental health, such as depression and anxiety.
Helping with your tinnitus.
 Those with hearing loss may also often develop tinnitus, a condition in which you hear a ringing or buzzing in your ears. Treating hearing loss can often help diminish some tinnitus symptoms and many hearing aids have additional features to help with tinnitus.

Stop struggling to hear conversations—and enjoy the return to hearing health you deserve.

Call 352-765-8008 or contact us online to schedule an appointment at Precision Hearing today.