We speak of hearing impairment when a hearing loss of 35 dB at the best ear is diagnosed. This is also the threshold for eligibility for hearing aid reimbursement. With stable hearing loss, the hearing loss remains the same, and thus a person continues to hear as poorly throughout his or her life. With progressive hearing loss, a person’s hearing deteriorates, and he or she may eventually hear nothing at all. This is usually the case, for example, with age-related deafness.
Causes of hearing impairment
There are several possible causes of impaired hearing:
- cerumen plug, otitis media acuta, otitis media with effusion, otitis externa, chronic otitis media, barotrauma;
- age-related deafness (presbyacusis);
- noise-induced hearing loss;
- use of ototoxic drugs;
- Ménière’s disease (attacks of spinning dizziness and tinnitus);
- otosclerosis;
- cholesteatoma;
- acoustic neurinoma;
- sudden (unilateral) hearing loss.
Aging Deafness
Age-related deafness, also known as presbyacusis, is the most common cause of impaired hearing. As age advances, the hair cells in the inner ear wear down resulting in hearing loss. This occurs as early as age 30, but usually does not become noticeable until age 50. Age-related deafness is gradual and is usually progressive, meaning that hearing gradually deteriorates. Age-related deafness is actually a form of noise deafness; it is affected by the amount and strength of sound we are exposed to in our lives. Fortunately, there are several tips to reduce these effects.
Hearing worse at work
Those with impaired hearing may experience problems at work. Functioning can be affected by fatigue, environmental noise, impaired speech understanding and failure to recognize sounds. This has a major impact on communication and safety, and affects an estimated 200,000 working people in our country. The GGMD for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers career counseling for this purpose. When it comes to preventing hearing damage, employers are sometimes required to provide hearing protection. You can read more about this on the prevention page.
Solutions
Prevention is better than cure or compensation. Especially with noise-induced hearing loss, there are several measures you can take. Should you nevertheless experience impaired hearing, you can have your ears tested by us free of charge. You can make an appointment here.
