How to Recognize When It’s Time for a Hearing Exam

At what point should you consider having your hearing assessed? Here are a few signs you should have your hearing checked.

Recently, my children expressed displeasure with the loud volume of the TV. Do you want to know what I said to them? I said, “What?!” It was intended to be funny. But there’s nothing comical about neglected hearing loss. The television has been getting louder and louder. And I began to ponder: Should I get a hearing test?

There’s no good reason to avoid scheduling a hearing test. They are non-intrusive, they don’t involve any radiation, and you can be at ease without concerns about your comfort level. You just need to take a brief minute to schedule an appointment.

Given the significant impact that unaddressed hearing loss can have on your overall well-being, it’s crucial to be proactive about monitoring your hearing.

You should get your hearing assessed if you detect these signs

If you’ve detected any recent changes that may be a sign of hearing loss, booking a thorough hearing examination with a professional is likely a wise decision. Clearly, if things are difficult to hear, that’s a fairly strong indication of hearing loss.

• It’s hard to hear in noisy venues: Have you ever been to a crowded or noisy space and had trouble keeping up with the conversation because of all the ambient noise? That might be an indication of hearing loss.
• It sounds like everybody’s mumbling all the time: Sometimes it’s not loss of volume you need to be concerned about, it’s a loss of definition.
• You often overlook text messages: Your phone is intended to be loud. If you regularly fail to notice incoming calls or texts, the issue may be that you’re not able to hear them.
• Ringing that won’t go away: Ringing in your ears, also known as tinnitus, is typically an indication of hearing damage.

Here are a few other situations that suggest you should arrange a hearing assessment:

• Your ear is still clogged following an infection
• Excess earwax has amassed and can not be eliminated by self-cleaning approaches
• Medications you’re using may be harming your hearing
• Identifying where sounds are originating from can be challenging
• You have vertigo

Routine hearing assessments

But what if you haven’t noticed any of these signs of hearing loss? Is there a criteria for how frequently you should get your hearing checked?

• Get a baseline test done at some point after you turn 21.
• For people with typical hearing, it’s recommended to have a hearing assessment every three years.
• If you demonstrate symptoms of hearing loss, get it checked out immediately and then yearly after that.

Regular assessments can help you identify hearing loss before any red flags appear. The sooner you seek treatment, the better you’ll be able to maintain your hearing in the long run. So you should decrease the volume on your television and consider aranging a hearing evaluation.