Hearing loss can have a profound effect on the individual’s personal and social life.
Signs and symptoms of a hearing loss vary depending on the severity of the hearing loss, but can include the following:
Inability to understand speech clearly, especially when background noise is present.
Inability to understand speech in group settings.
It sounds as if other people are mumbling or not talking clearly.
Inability to hear clearly over the telephone.
One must turn the volume of the television / radio up Inability to understand when someone is not looking directly at you when they speak.
Withdrawal from conversations and social events.
Frequently asking others for repetition or to speak louder.
Speech sounds muffled as if ears are blocked / filled with fluid.
Blaming loss of conversational content on the other person not “speaking up”.
Difficulty locating where sounds / speech are coming from.
Difficulty to distinguish between different sounds / words.
Cannot “hear” if you don’t have your glasses on when someone talks.
Tinnitus (Ringing sound in one or both ears).
.Vertigo (feeling off-balance or dizzy)
If you experience two or more of these symptoms, it is recommended that you have your hearing tested by an Audiologist. Remember, having a hearing test done does not necessarily mean you must have a hearing loss. Prevention is always better than cure!
