Hearing loss can take many forms, and may occur either suddenly, due to injuries or trauma, or gradually, due to the aging process. Hearing loss may range from mild episodes of not being able to hear conversations correctly to extreme periods of being unable to hear at all, and can be either permanent or temporary. Moreover, a person might suffer a loss of hearing in either a single ear or both ears.

Probably the most commonly noted symptom of hearing loss is progressively becoming unable to hear and comprehend conversations properly. People’s speaking voices might seem to be at low volume or sound muffled . You may be able to hear people speaking, but not be able to differentiate specific words, especially if multiple people are speaking or the conversations are in environments with a lot of background noise.

Other usual signs of hearing loss include having to increase the volume on your television or radio, having a harder time hearing men’s voices than women’s, and not being able to differentiate sounds like ‘s’ and ‘th’ from one another. If you feel pain, tenderness, or itching in your ears, have periods of vertigo or dizziness, or hear a constant buzzing or ringing sound, these symptoms may also be indicators of hearing loss.

Because it generally arises gradually, many people with hearing loss are not aware of it. Or they may recognize it but exhibit “denial behaviors” to try to disguise or conceal their hearing loss from others. Examples of these types of symptoms include asking people to repeat themselves frequently, avoiding discussions and social situations, acting as if you’ve heard stuff that you really didn’t, and feelings of isolation or depression.

If these symptoms sound familiar to you, it is time to make an appointment with one of our hearing specialists. They can give you a hearing test to determine if you have indeed experienced hearing loss, and if so, can help you to do something about it.