Hidden Hearing Loss
Standard audiometric tests often miss a condition that audiologists call hidden hearing loss, a condition in which people can hear speech but struggle to understand speech in noisy settings. A standard hearing test involves measuring one's audibility for soft sounds. Hidden hearing loss diagnosis tests speech discrimination in the presence of various competing noise levels.
Some things to look out for include:
A strong sense that you have hearing loss, even after passing a hearing test
A preference for quiet settings for conversations
Feeling easily distracted or unable to focus in noisy settings
WHAT CAUSES HIDDEN HEARING LOSS?
Loud noise exposure not only damages hair cells in your inner ear but can also damage the ear's nerve cells. Tiny hair-like receptors in our cochlea vibrate when stimulated by sound waves. Nerve cells can lose their connections with the hair cells, and disrupt the data to the auditory cortex in the brain. As a result, the brain receives poorer information from the ear and it struggles to interpret the data correctly.
Hidden hearing loss can also be associated with auditory processing disorders and secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI).
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HIDDEN HEARING LOSS?
It's unclear how many people suffer from the condition, first described in 2009. Scientists are still developing tests to diagnose it, which is problematic since many people who experience it may not notice and don't visit the audiologist.
If you think you might have a hidden hearing loss, you should visit a hearing health professional and tell them about your hearing problems. We can help identify any hearing problems and help you treat your hearing loss. Contact us today!
