Does hearing loss worsen as you get older? Hearing loss is a common slowly developing condition that affects all adults. In fact, over 50% of people 75 and older have a hard time hearing.
Presbycusis
The slowly advancing condition of hearing loss as we age is commonly known as presbycusis. Typically, there will be a variety of factors contributing to this condition.
As we get older, our ears go through changes. There are little hair cells in your ears that detect waves of sound and communicate the signals to the brain to be translated as sound.
When these tiny hair cells become damaged or die, hearing loss is the result. Hearing loss that is the outcome of damage to these hairs is permanent as these hairs never restore.
The following are some causes of hearing loss:
- Wearing headphones when listening to loud music can increase the risk.
- Specific medical disorders including diabetes can result in hearing loss.
- Hearing loss can be genetics.
- Smoking increases the risk of hearing loss.
- Loud noises like going to concerts regularly or working in a setting with consistent loud noise.
- Certain medicines including chemotherapy drugs raise the risk.
Typical symptoms of age-related hearing loss
Common symptoms of presbycusis include lack of clearness when people speak, trouble hearing soft voices like children, and trouble hearing when there’s background sound.
Other indicators of hearing loss include regularly needing people to repeat what they said, ringing in the ears, and needing to turn the volume up on the TV.
Treating age-related hearing loss is essential
Quality of life will be negatively impacted by untreated hearing loss. Anxiety, depression, sadness, social withdrawal, jeopardized relationships, and an increased risk of developing dementia are all ways that neglected hearing loss can have a negative effect on your quality of life.
Rather than dealing with these problems, think about possible treatments, such as hearing aids, sign language for those with severe hearing loss, telephone amplifiers, lip reading, or a cochlear implant.
No one should suffer with age-related hearing loss. There are ways to enjoy your life again.
Consult us today to schedule your hearing examination and to discuss the best treatments for your hearing loss or for somebody you love.
References
Older Adults — Hearing Health Foundation
Hearing Loss: A Common Problem for Older Adults | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)
Seniors and Hearing Loss – American Academy of Audiology
