Does hearing loss worsen as you age? Hearing loss is a common slowly advancing condition that affects all adults. Half of people older than 75 have difficulty with their hearing, as a matter of fact.
Presbycusis
Presbycusis is defined as age-related hearing loss or the slow process of hearing loss as we get older. There is no one definitive cause for this to happen, but it is usually considered a combination of many factors.
Changes happen in our inner ear as we get older. There are little hair cells in your ears that pick up waves of sound and communicate the signals to the brain to be interpreted as sound.
When these little hair cells become damaged or destroyed, hearing loss is the result. Hearing loss that is the outcome of damage to these hairs is permanent as these hairs never regenerate.
The following are a few causes of hearing loss:
- Heredity plays a role in hearing loss.
- Various medical disorders including diabetes can lead to hearing loss.
- Hearing loss risk is raised by specific drugs including chemotherapy drugs.
- Smoking raises the risk of hearing loss.
- Exposure to loud noise frequently over long time periods.
- Using headphones when listening to loud music can increase the risk.
Common symptoms of age-related hearing loss
Typical symptoms of presbycusis include lack of clarity when people talk, difficulty hearing soft voices like children, and difficulty hearing when there’s background sound.
In addition, increasing the TV volume, asking people to repeat what they said, and ringing in your ears can also be signs of hearing loss.
The importance of dealing with age-related hearing loss
Quality of life will be negatively affected by untreated hearing loss. Anxiousness, depression, sadness, social isolation, jeopardized relationships, and an increased risk of developing dementia are all ways that neglected hearing loss can have a negative impact on your quality of life.
Rather than dealing with these issues, consider 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 need to cope with age-related hearing loss. You can still live a full and enjoyable life.
If you or somebody you love is struggling with hearing loss, call us today to schedule a hearing assessment!
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
