How to check your hearing in 2022?

Healthy hearing is the key to a happy and active life. Unfortunately, most people do not think about the health of their hearing organs, taking the sounds of the world around them for granted. Meanwhile, this system of feelings is very complex and fragile.

The modern way of life, especially in large cities, negatively affects it. Constant noise exposure (work, music, metro, etc.), complications of infections, ear and head injuries, drug side effects, and age-related changes can cause various hearing problems.

As a result, a person will experience all types of difficulties. Statistics show that many people with hearing loss are reluctant to seek help.

The gradual decline in the quality of hearing leads to isolation from society, the development of depression, and other psychological disorders. Physiological problems also appear, such as loss of orientation in space, frequent falls, etc.

This can be avoided if the hearing is checked in time and treatment is started. Moreover, today there are effective and painless hearing tests that help determine the cause of the disorder and the degree of hearing loss.

Why is this important?

Many people believe that the problem of hearing loss has nothing to do with them. It’s a delusion. Nearly 500 million people around the world suffer from various hearing problems.

And according to the WHO, that number is growing every year. Young people are at particular risk.

Today, most teenagers listen to music with headphones and attend concerts and other recreational activities without thinking about how long-term noise exposure affects their hearing. And it has a detrimental effect, causing sensorineural hearing loss.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that people are in no hurry to seek help. As a result, the problem worsens and treatment becomes costly and lengthy.

Healthy hearing is especially important for children.

Indeed, thanks to hearing, we develop correctly and learn to speak and interact with the outside world. Therefore, it is so important to conduct a hearing test on time to diagnose hearing loss at an early stage of development and begin treatment.

Audiologists recommend that adults have their hearing checked at least once a year if there are no complaints.

What are the symptoms of hearing loss?

Hearing loss affects all areas of life, significantly worsening its quality. Therefore, you can easily notice the first symptoms in yourself or a loved one. We are talking about:

  • Desire to turn up the volume of a digital device (TV, smartphone, etc.)
  • Frequent questions and requests to repeat during a conversation
  • Lack of desire to attend noisy events in the company
  • Rapid fatigue during the day and loss of concentration
  • Involuntary increase in voice during a conversation

Parents should pay special attention to young children. You should pay attention to their behavior. After all, they still can not talk about their problems. Therefore, adults should be able to see the symptoms of hearing loss in children in time:

  • Lack of response to a name, noise, harsh sound, etc.
  • The child does not turn to the source of the sound
  • The child often seems inattentive
  • There are signs of slow speech development

Such symptoms cannot be ignored, otherwise, they can lead to developmental delays.

The right decision is to have your child’s hearing checked at the first sign of symptoms. This is a painless procedure. It’ll show the presence/absence of a problem and allow you to coordinate the next steps.

Hearing test without leaving home

Most people are reluctant to seek help from an audiologist, even if they experience hearing loss. First of all, such a decision is influenced by psychological difficulties and fear, although there is nothing wrong with that.

According to statistics, the average time from the onset of hearing problems to seeing a doctor is about 10 years.

Of course, all this time a person experiences discomfort and behavioral difficulties. As a rule, patients visit an audiologist in cases where they can no longer cope with behavioral tasks, and experience great difficulties at home, and work.

Today, there are effective hearing screening methods. They do not require you to visit an audiology clinic. Make an online hearing test. It allows you to quickly and easily determine the state of your hearing. In just a few minutes, you can determine its sharpness.

For the initial hearing test, the presence of a doctor is not necessary. It is enough to use a special program.

It is important to understand that an online hearing test is not a diagnosis of real hearing loss.

Testing is for those who are wondering if they have hearing loss. The results will show the presence or absence of a problem. If hearing loss is present, then it is necessary to contact an audiological clinic for a complete diagnosis.

A few words about audiometry

Hearing testing using special equipment is necessary to correctly diagnose and prescribe effective treatment to restore lost abilities. Today, there are various methods for diagnosing hearing. The most popular and effective of these is Audiometry.

Audiometry is a test to determine hearing acuity. Testing is carried out for complaints of poor hearing, impaired speech intelligibility, etc. The audiologist uses special equipment that produces the results in the form of an audiogram with all indications.

The specialist determines the hearing sensitivity of the left and right ears by this graph.

On their basis, the doctor concludes the state of hearing and develops treatment methods. In addition, an audiogram helps to determine the location of the lesion (auditory nerve, middle ear, etc.).

Hearing audiometry in children and adults is a safe and painless diagnosis. The procedure does not require complex preparation. At the same time, it makes it possible to detect violations in any department of the hearing aid.

If you regularly undergo diagnostics, you can identify and prevent the risks of hearing loss on time. This is why audiologists recommend an annual hearing test. In less than an hour, you can prevent big problems in the future.

Listen to the advice of doctors and take care of your health!