Why you should not delay your Hearing Loss Treatment

Author: Viraj Shukla

Prolonged hearing loss will affect your personal and professional lives. It will threaten your independence and self-confidence. A hearing aid will help you lead a fuller and a better life.

Hearing loss is a gradual occurrence with age. Sometimes, we fail to recognize or ignore its early symptoms, and only understand and acknowledge its true effects when it becomes severe. Most people ignore the initial symptoms and dodge it for prolonged periods, sometimes even up to 7 years before acknowledging and addressing the problem of encroaching hearing impairment. This behavior is attributed to a psychological syndrome called ‘frog in the pot’.

We all may have heard about his metaphor that, a frog, when dropped in a pot full of boiling water, jumps out immediately. However, if the frog is kept in the pot filled with normal water and the water is heated slowly, the frog adapts slowly to the increase in temperature and will not sense the danger. It will be oblivious of the fact that it is being cooked until it becomes too late to react.

The same is the case with humans, we fail to recognize and acknowledge the incremental changes in the severity of our condition unless it is too late. Incremental advances or changes are much harder to notice than a drastic and quick change. As a result, it becomes easy for a person to get accustomed and adjust to this gradually increasing hearing loss as if it is normal.

Few individuals fail to realize the true extent of hearing impairment, while others avoid consulting an audiologist out of doggedness. They fear the negative consequences of hearing loss. They fear that their condition is critical, irreversible and will worsen with time. We all detest bad news. However, this suffering because of avoidance is not worth the pain. Because, the suffering you will endure due to hearing loss, is far worse than visiting a doctor and getting the right treatment. The right treatment will help you lead a happier and fuller life. So, let’s discuss the factors why you should not delay the treatment of hearing loss in Melbourne.

Negative impacts of untreated hearing impairment

  • Hearing loss will diminish your earning potential and will become a threat to your job’s security.

  • It will make you unable to communicate with your family and friends, leading to the feeling of loneliness, isolation, and depression.

  • It will rob you of your ability to control yourself and your surroundings. You will feel vulnerable even in familiar surroundings.

  • Prolonged hearing loss will affect speech and will accelerate the process of brain degeneration.

  • Hearing loss will induce a feeling of frustration and isolation, which will hamper your overall well-being.

Failing to attend to hearing impairment also intensifies your physical problems. For instance, prolonged hearing loss will cause the hearing part of the brain to decline, which will decrease your capability to perceive speech despite using a hearing aid.

Symptoms of hearing impairment

  • Unable to follow group conversations

  • Asking others to repeat in a louder voice and/or pitch

  • Failing to comprehend and understand movie dialogues or public discussions

  • An excessive need to raise the volume of radio or TV

  • Straining yourself to hear what others are talking

If you are experiencing such symptoms, it is important to get your ears checked by a licensed audiologist. It is better to look for treatment than to sit in the gradually heating water as if it is the new normal.

How will the audiologist help you?

An audiologist is a certified ear specialist treating conditions related to hearing problems. They will first evaluate your hearing capabilities, followed by a detailed examination of your listening history and your current state. Some of the common types of hearing examinations include:

  • Bone conduction: to gauge the functioning of the inner ear

  • Pure tone audiometry: to gauge your ability to detect the basic tones

  • Speech discrimination: determines the ability to listen to and comprehend natural conversations

  • Tympanometry: determines whether there is a presence of some kind of fluid behind the eardrum

Post a detailed examination, the audiologist at the hearing clinic can also recommend:

  • Cochlear implant: only in some special cases

  • Removal of ear wax

  • Application of assistive aids or devices, such as hearing devices, amplified communications or blinking alarms

If you are facing a real problem, there is no point in avoiding the issue. It will simply worsen with passing time. Consulting an audiologist will get you real treatment and you will experience considerable improvement in your condition post-treatment.

If you have a hearing problem, do not delay its treatment. Visit Victorian Hearing to learn more and book a test.