When DO you have a “hearing problem”…?!?
When do you have a hearing problem? It’s actually a very good & reasonable question. Just because someone has testable hearing loss, does it necessarily mean they have a hearing problem? Early in the loss, it can be a fine line. But at some point, hearing loss does become a hearing problem. When that occurs varies for different people, different lifestyles, different demands on hearing, etc.
I recently saw a patient whose only complaint was that she couldn’t understand her husband at home, mostly when he talked from another room or with his back to her. She didn’t relate any other significant issues. Her hearing test revealed a decent amount of high frequency hearing loss, but she was (understandably) hearing me just fine in my quiet office. Does she have a hearing problem?
Over the recent Passover holiday, I was spending time with family that I don’t often get to see. All very intelligent & educated people, and who are generally health conscious. We had a really lovely time, but I couldn’t help but notice the signs & symptoms of treatable hearing loss. Even my wife remarked about the numerous small communication breakdowns throughout their visit. Some of them acknowledged knowing they have hearing loss, but denied having significant hearing problems. Again, we had a lovely visit, with some very funny ‘communication breakdown’ moments.
Do those family members have hearing problems?
The complaints of the patient above and observations of my own family indicated some degree of communication issues due to hearing loss. However, they didn’t recognize a hearing “problem”. On the flip-side, I see patients noting a significant problem & beginning treatment with amplification (ie. hearing aids) that have the same degree of hearing loss (or even better) as that patient above or with the same communication issues I observed with my family. My professional opinion is that any hearing loss that exhibits communication issues constitutes a problem associated with hearing, and one that could benefit (short & long term) from treatment with some form of amplification.
Whether a person chooses to address their hearing problem is always their decision to make, though often with input (sometimes unsolicited) from loved ones. But all of the available research indicates the short & long term benefits (physical, mental, emotional, financial, quality of life) of early & consistent treatment of hearing loss with amplification. So if you sense a hearing problem, yours or a loved one’s, don’t wait to address it. It’s always better to address it earlier rather than later.
(P.S.I encouraged my family who were having communication issues to get their hearing evaluated and for my patient to consider a trial with amplification.)
