Signs of Hearing Loss

Many people are unaware that their hearing has deteriorated, and are reluctant to seek help. Hearing loss does not just affect you as an individual, but it affects everyone around you. Most hearing losses are irreversible and cannot be cured. However, with the aid of modern digital devices, London Hearing can help you use your hearing more effectively.

Presbyacusis is a natural phenomenon, where everyone in this world loses their hearing as they age. For most people this begins in their forties, however as we are living in an increasingly noisy world, there is an increasing prevalence of impaired hearing at a younger age. It is estimated that six million people in the United Kingdom would benefit from a hearing aid and the number is increasing all the time.

With presbyacusis at first, you may be able to manage well without any aids but, over time, it becomes increasingly difficult to hear people especially in the presence of background noise i.e. cafes or in crowds. Certain types of voices such as females or different accents become also increasingly harder to follow.

Studies have linked uncorrected hearing loss to the following:

• Anxiety and irritability
• Stress, depression and paranoia
• Anger and helplessness
• Isolation, loneliness and social withdrawal
• Increased risk to personal safety ( i.e. fire alarms)
• Reduced job productivity and costly errors

What are the signs of hearing loss?

• Difficulty hearing in noisy environments e.g. cafe’s or in the work place
• Require frequent repetition
• Responding inappropriately to conversation
• Restraining from favourite hobbies such as going to your local social club or watching T.V
• Making costly errors at the work place
• Having your TV turned up to a high volume
• Trouble hearing certain voices like women or children

What are the causes of hearing loss?

• Ageing (Presbyacusis)
• Exposure to excessive noise levels
• Infections or injuries
• Reaction to drugs (ototoxicity)
• Congenital and genetic defects