Q&A About Hearing Loss

Q&A About Hearing Loss

Dr. T

Hearing loss affects at least 48 million people in the United States alone, and most people who live to the golden years will have some form of hearing loss. Despite its commonality, hearing loss remains a mystery to some. Competing reports of the origins, effects, and treatments for hearing loss lead to some misinformation, and it is important to stick with expert guidance when it comes to our hearing health. Let’s take a moment to unpack some common questions about hearing loss according to the prevailing guidance provided by experts in the field. 

Does hearing loss improve on its own?

Although some forms of hearing loss can be temporary, often due to an obstruction in the ear canal, the most common forms of hearing loss—age-related and noise-induced—will not improve on their own. In fact, current technology has not discovered a way to repair, restore, or regrow the damaged parts of the inner ear once they have been broken. Although hearing loss appears to be permanent in these ways, treatment can bring back hearing ability in the range of loss. By raising the volume in these frequency ranges, hearing aids can recreate the sensation of hearing without repairing the broken hairlike organelles of the inner ear called stereocilia.

Will hearing loss lead to deafness?

We’ve just seen that hearing loss tends not to improve on its own, but does that mean it will progress until the ultimate point of total deafness? The answer to this question also tends to be “No” in most cases. The most common forms of hearing loss are not consistently degenerative, meaning they don’t continue to decline indefinitely. Instead, hearing ability seems to plateau at a lower level without continuing all the way to deafness among most people with age-related and noise-induced hearing loss. With hearing assistance, most wearers of hearing aids can arrive at a new level of hearing ability that works in many situations.

Should I get cochlear implants?

Cochlear implants are a technology that makes it possible to translate vibrations into hearing through the auditory nervous system. When they are introduced among hearing impaired children, they have a much higher rate of effectiveness, and it seems that they are most useful when they accompany the process of learning to speak. However, cochlear implants tend not to be recommended for adults unless they have quite high or profound levels of hearing loss. Rather than cochlear implants, most experts recommend hearing aids for those who have hearing loss in adulthood. 

Can I use just one hearing aid?

Indeed, some people do have asymmetrical hearing loss, meaning that one ear can hear much better than the other. Although this imbalance can make it seem like hearing loss is limited to one ear, in fact it is more likely that the degrees of hearing loss are just different between the two ears. Using just one hearing aid is not recommended for several reasons. First, this imbalance in assistance can lead to problems with equilibrium and spatial navigation. The difference between hearing ability in the unassisted ear and the assisted ear can also lead a person to neglect the “good” ear and miss out on necessary assistance down the road. Although it might seem like one of the ears is perfectly good, there can be undiagnosed hearing loss in that ear, as well. The balance of sound between the two sides of the head is necessary to establish spatial understanding, and using one hearing aid can cause problems for spatialization and directionality of sound. 

What is the first step I should take if I have hearing loss?

If you realize that you have hearing loss but don’t know where to begin, the first step is to contact our offices to schedule a hearing test. Getting a sense of the specific nature and degree of hearing ability is a crucial starting place in pursuing assistance. Once we have a complete diagnosis, our hearing health professionals can recommend the right path toward treatment, including the hearing aids that are suited to your individual needs and lifestyle. We can also help guide you in the process of discovery when you first put your new aids into use.