Have Hearing Loss? Why It’s Important to Treat It Right Away.
Hearing Loss Treatment in Vero Beach
With age comes wisdom and something none of us want. Do you know what it is?
It’s an inconvenient truth. Age-related hearing loss affects one in three adults over the age of 65… and it’s not just those over 65 that have to worry. Hearing loss is on the rise across all age groups and demographics.
Detecting and treating hearing loss is crucial, as untreated hearing loss can have long-lasting implications for your physical and mental health.
What are the most common types of hearing loss?
Hearing loss generally falls under three categories, defined by the underlying causes of symptoms.
Conductive hearing loss: This type of hearing loss occurs in the outer or middle ear. Conductive hearing loss is often associated with some type of obstruction. For example, an ear infection can cause swelling and fluid build-up that subsequently interferes with your ability to hear. In other cases, conductive hearing loss can be caused by something as simple as a buildup of earwax. This is usually a temporary type of hearing loss that can be fixed with a simple procedure, medicine, or on rare occasions, surgery.
Sensorineural hearing loss: This hearing loss occurs in the inner ear, often due to nerve damage. This type of hearing loss is incurable and tends to get worse with time. When people talk about “age-related hearing loss,” they’re usually referring to sensorineural hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is usually treated with hearing aids or a cochlear implant if you’re a candidate.
Mixed or combination hearing loss: This is when you have a combination of both types of hearing loss. This type may require more than one type of treatment, including hearing aids.
Hearing loss is often caused by exposure to loud noise, but it can also be caused by illness, injury, exposure to toxins, heredity, and other factors.
Hearing Loss Treatment Options
Hearing loss doesn’t have to limit your quality of life. At Intracoastal Hearing Center, we offer personalized hearing loss treatment options designed to match your specific needs, lifestyle, and level of hearing impairment. Whether your hearing loss is mild, moderate, or severe, our team will guide you toward the most effective solution.
For many patients, hearing aids are the most effective and immediate way to improve hearing. Today’s advanced devices are smaller, more comfortable, and more powerful than ever before.
We offer a range of modern hearing aid technology, including:
- Discreet, nearly invisible styles
- Rechargeable devices for convenience
- Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids for seamless connection to phones and TVs
- Custom-programmed solutions tailored to your hearing profile
Our team ensures your hearing aids are properly fitted and adjusted, so you experience clearer conversations and improved sound quality in real-world environments.
Hearing Evaluations
The first step in treating hearing loss is understanding it. We provide thorough diagnostic hearing tests to determine the type and severity of your hearing loss.
Your evaluation may include:
- Pure-tone testing
- Speech recognition testing
- Middle ear assessments
Based on your results, we’ll recommend the most appropriate treatment plan to help you hear your best.
Advanced Solutions for Severe Hearing Loss
For individuals with more advanced hearing loss, we explore additional treatment options beyond traditional hearing aids. This may include referrals or guidance on implantable hearing solutions when appropriate.
Our goal is to ensure every patient has access to the care and technology they need to reconnect with the world around them.
How to tell if you have hearing loss – Look for these symptoms
How do you know if you have hearing loss or it’s just everyone around you mumbling? Hearing loss can be difficult to self-diagnose, in large part because the symptoms progress quite slowly. Your brain has its own mechanisms for compensating when your ears aren’t functioning quite right, so you may find yourself unconsciously turning up your television volume rather than seeking out help for your hearing loss or even lip-reading.
There are several early signs of hearing loss:
- Conversation sounds muffled or distant.
- Some consonant sounds are difficult to discern.
- It’s difficult to make out conversation when there’s background noise.
- Withdrawal or avoidance of social situations.
- Unexplained fatigue or memory lapses.
Are you hearing complaints from family or friends about having the volume too high? Or that you ask them to repeat themselves a lot? Those are signs too.
If you feel as though you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment so you can undergo a hearing test. Hearing tests will be able to detect whether you have hearing loss and to what extent it might have advanced, paving the way for effective treatment.
Why procrastination can damage your hearing and increase hearing loss
Why wait until it’s too late to fix?
Left untreated, hearing loss can cause significant complications for your health. Because conversations are challenging, people with untreated hearing loss tend to withdraw socially–they visit friends less frequently, talk to others less often, and so on. Over time, this can lead to significant mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety.
There’s also a significant amount of evidence to suggest that untreated hearing loss substantially increases your risk for the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. The best way to lower these risks is to ensure your hearing loss is addressed with hearing aids.
Reviewed by the audiologist at Intracoastal Hearing Center
Still have questions? Ask our audiologist!
