Just as Well This HubPage is Visual Because We're All Going Deaf!

With the passing years as we age our ears become less effective, both in their ability to detect high notes, or evenly across all notes, and most commonly in their sensitivity to the quieter sounds. The degree of hearing impairment these days is such that you should almost expect reduced hearing ability when you reach 65 or older. One in three of us will be hearing impaired by the time we reach that age, and at ten years older than that will see each of us at a fifty percent risk of hearing difficulty in some form. Such loss is commonly due to over-exposure to noise, heredity or both.

This is pretty bad, but the woryying thing to me is that the generation to which these figures relate was brought up before the common use of often excessively loud earphones, from a whole array of devices from the iPod, to Bluetooth earpieces.

It is in my opinion almost certain that the current figures for hearing loss will be worse within the next five years.

Take care, make sure you are not part of this sad statistic.

So, I suggest that you consider the following:-

Do you have a hearing impairment? You probably do if you answer yes to one or more of the following:-

1) You experience a muffling effect to the sounds you hear

2) You hear, but then are unable to understand spoken words

3) Despite paying attention to a speaker you find you must repeatedly request that things be repeated more clearly

4) You complain that the programmes you hear are difficult to listen too, actors and presenters speak too quietly, and you need to turn up the dial

If any of the above are a description of you, and also you tend not to participate in discussions as a result, there is a likelihood that your hearing ability is below normal. Our hearing and balance organ is known as the cochlea, and it is this organ which is usually not working correctly when hearing reduction occurs. The cochlea is a tiny coiled hollow organ lined with hairs. Each set of hairs responds to each wavelength of sound. It only needs a few to fail before the quality of hearing is reduced, and the level of damage is at a sound intensity (energy level) which is measured in what are called Decibels (dBs). The number of dBs at which damage begins, after extended exposure time, to occur is 85 dBs. The higher the dBs the sooner damage occurs.

Sound intensity damage is not the only means of damage, of course, and others are:-

1) Diseases of the ear, such as can be during child illnesses

2) Damage to the tiny sensitive bones of the ear

3) Cancer of the outer or mid-ear

4) Ear drums which have ruptured.

Of course, there are other rarer non age related cuases of hearing loss such as, Auditory Neuropathy, Meniere's Disease, Noise Ostosclerosis and Usher's Syndrome.

Now you know the causes, we will list the three types of hearing loss which ensue from all of the above listed:-

A) Conductive Damage to Hearing

For this type of damage to have occurred the lack of proper conduction of the sound vibrations from the outside world into the inner ear (cochlea) is the common cause of hearing reduction or near complete loss. Causes can be temporary/reversible such as due to curable infection, the presence of unwanted fluids, or indeed even excess ear wax.

B) Hearing Loss Sensorineural

Anything that damages the inner ear is the type of hearing loss in this case. These may result from exposure to noise, virus infections, physical damage to the head, old age and cancerous growths.

In adddition or separately neural problems also fall into this category.

C) Combined Deafness Causes

Combine A) and B) and as above, we now have our three possible types, now that we have included this possibility.

We have now completed our list of the three forms of hearing loss, with discussion of each.

Whether hearing loss occurs in one or both ears, the extent of the deterioration in audibility may be different in each ear, and may vary with time. Ear infections may cause conductive hearing impairment which develops quickly into a problem but also reverts rapidly when the infection clears.

Only a qualified expert in the field of hearing and/or audiology can advise on these matters as they affect individuals. This article is intended for general use only, and does not provide advice in any form.

Finally, if you do already have hearing loss, we would like to say that modern hearing aid technology advances have recently improved hearing aids so much that there are very few hearing loss sufferers who will not be assisted by the use of the right hearing aid.