The amount of hearing loss a person has is measured in decibels (dB) and the range is divided into four levels.

A person with a mild hearing loss (26-45dB) will probably have difficulty understanding someone speaking at a distance or who has a soft voice. Quiet conditions or one to one conversations may present no problems, but noisy conditions are hard to cope with. High pitched sounds like bird song are often hard to hear.

A person with a moderate hearing loss (46-65dB) will have difficulty in the same situations as mild losses but also have difficulty hearing others even in quiet situations.

When the hearing loss is rated as severe (66-90dB), no matter the situation or how close you are to the signal, it will be difficult to hear.

Those with a profound hearing loss (greater than 90dB) will find it almost impossible to hear loud speech or environmental sounds.

The degree of hearing loss handicap can also be effected when we can no longer hear frequencies that we used to hear. Usually the more hearing loss we have in the higher frequencies, the harder it is to hear speech. This is because the consonants are high frequency in nature and therefore provide the clarity and ability to discriminate human speech.

Many people come and see an audiologist (a university trained hearing specialist) because they feel they have a hearing problem; however, many also come because a friend, family member or other health professional has recommended it. It is important to take someone with you to your appointment so that you don’t miss out on what is explained and it’s also very helpful to the audiologist if someone else can confirm the difficulties you are having with everyday communication.

The audiologist will talk to you about your hearing problem, your family history, whether you have worked in noisy situations over a period of time or any other health or relevant issues that might affect your hearing. He or she will then conduct a hearing test. The hearing test measures the softest level you can hear different pitches (frequencies) of sounds. You will usually also be tested to see how well you can hear speech.

After the hearing test is finished the audiologist will explain the results and what he or she recommends that you do next. Below is a special audiogram called a ‘speech banana’ audiogram, showing common sounds in the environment compared to your hearing loss.

The degree of hearing loss and how it affects a person will depend on the persons’ circumstances. For example a mother of a young child will want to hear the tiniest sound that he or she makes. You and your audiologist, after a proper assessment, will determine if your hearing needs amplification.

A mild hearing loss doesn’t require hearing aids or other help. Although you may think there is no real problem with your hearing, family and friends will notice that you are missing out on conversation, getting things wrong and are frustrating to communicate with. Untreated hearing loss can be associated with stress, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Long term, untreated hearing loss can lead to loss of understanding of speech by the brain.

Not having a hearing test or not doing anything about your hearing problem will not make it go away. Hearing professionals report that the person who gets hearing aids before they are too deaf or too old, manage far better than those that leave doing anything about their hearing loss until they have a severe problem

There are plenty of invisible or near invisible hearing aids available on the market and you need to talk to your audiologist about what would be the most suitable for you, your lifestyle and your type of hearing loss. Answering completely the wrong question because you have not heard correctly does not make you look young!

In the scientific literature there are more than a 100 possible causes but the most common cause is hearing loss.

The first thing to do is have a hearing test. Tinnitus usually occurs at the tone (frequency) that is the same tone( frequency)where the hearing loss is worse. The audiologist can also usually test if the tinnitus is likely to be able to be masked by a masking device during the hearing test.

While there is no actual ‘cure’ for tinnitus there are a number of things to help disguise it and make the annoyance a whole lot less

If you have a hearing loss then the use of a hearing aid is the most effective measure to make the tinnitus less noticeable

• Maskers are sound generators that make a pleasant noise that helps keep the tinnitus less noticeable
• Relaxation therapy can often help make the tinnitus less annoying
• Avoiding silence is recommended if the tinnitus is bothering you, when other sounds are available its much easier to ignore the tinnitus
• Make sure your ears aren’t blocked with wax as this can make tinnitus worse

At the clinic we will advise what we think is the best solution for you to try. For most a hearing aid or hearing aid masker combination ( see image below) is by far the best option.