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Ms. Ears Questions and AnswersQuestions about General Hearing, Impairment and Protection from real people and answered by real audiologists
QUESTION: Is having one ear just as good as having two? ANSWER: A voice barely heard at 10 feet away with one ear can be heard clearly at 40 feet away with two ears. Many noises sound alike with one ear but can be easily identified as 2 separate sounds with two ears. Sudden loud noises lose much of their jarring effects when divided by two ears. Listening with two ears helps sort out and understand individual voices, especially in noisy places. Hearing with both ears also provides a better sense of balance and sound quality. QUESTION: How many people in the U.S.A. suffer from hearing impairments? ANSWER: 28 Million people in the U.S.A. have hearing impairments. Nerve damage is the most common form of hearing loss. 30% of people over 65 have some type of hearing loss. Close to 8 million people between the ages of 18 and 44 and 7 million children suffer from hearing loss. The most amazing part is that over 50% of the hearing impaired (15 million people) are prevented from getting hearing aids by only vanity. QUESTION: What are symptoms of hearing loss? ANSWER: People who can't hear well often lead lives filled with anxiety, insecurity, isolation and depression. Some common signs of hearing loss are: turning the TV too loud; continually asking others to repeat themselves; and a ringing or buzzing in the ears. QUESTION: Is there such a thing as a "better hearing month"? ANSWER: Since 1927, May has been designated as Better Hearing Month. QUESTION: Can a hair dryer harm hearing? My hair dryer is very loud, and I always have a slight ringing in my ears when I use it on the high setting. ANSWER: Yes. A person's hearing can be harmed by sudden loud noise and by exposure to loud noise over time. The louder the noise, the shorter the period of time you can be exposed without damage. If your hair dryer is loud enough to make your ears ring, it could damage your hearing over time. I suggest you don't use your hair dryer on high setting, use it for less time or find a dryer that is not as loud. Sincerely, Ms. Ears. QUESTION: How do I know that my hearing is more severe than others? ANSWER: Hearing is rated into a number of categories: normal, mild, moderate, severe and profound. If your hearing is in the normal range then your hearing thresholds are 20 dB or better. Mild is 20 dB to 40 dB, moderate is 40 dB to 60 dB, severe is 60 dB to 80 dB and profound is 80 dB and worse. A person may have mild hearing loss in the lower frequencies and a moderate hearing loss in the higher frequencies. An audiologist would state that this person has a "mild sloping to moderate hearing loss". Sincerely, Ms. Ears. QUESTION: How long do you predict it will take before scientists will treat hearing loss through regeneration of hair cells? ANSWER: Yes, they can clone sheep and cows, so the next question is people. Some days I am so busy that I would volunteer myself to be cloned so I could have more time for play..er..work. There has been talk of regenerating hair cells for a number of years, including efforts on animals. My personal estimate would be 10 to 15 years before we can talk about throwing our hearing aids away. Sincerely, Ms. Ears. QUESTION: I ride a motorcycle. As you know, wind noise is a recognized hazard for hearing loss. I currently use commercially available foam earplugs that are almost good enough. However, I'd like to find something easier to install that would provide more sound attenuation. Any suggestions? ANSWER: I am glad you are concerned about your hearing and the wind noise from riding a motorcycle. I too ride a motorcycle and find that a good custom pair of sound suppression ear plugs help greatly to control the noise and make long rides more comfortable. Find an audiologist near you and have her order a pair of custom earplugs. You will find these more comfortable and they will provide the correct amount of attenuation. Thank you for your question and good riding. Sincerely, Ms. Ears. QUESTION: Do people get balance problems when they are deaf? ANSWER: Most people that are deaf or are hearing impaired (about 1 in 10 people in North America) do not have balance problems. There are cases where a person may have hearing and balance problems develop at the same time. When this occurs, go to your doctor as soon as possible. The semicircular canals are three canals of the vestibular system responsible for sensation of movement of the head in space (balance). They share fluid and part of the same nerve bundle as the ear. If there are problems in either of these two areas (fluid or nerve bundle) a person can have hearing and balance problems. Sincerely, Ms. Ears. QUESTION: I am doing a university assignment on unilateral hearing loss. Are there any useful resources you could point me in the direction of? ANSWER: A person with unilateral hearing loss has hearing in one ear that is within the normal range and hearing in the other ear that has some degree of hearing loss. A person may be born with this type of loss or it may develop later in life. A unilateral hearing loss can also be an indication that something very serious is happening to the inner ear or the nerves that carry messages to the brain. A unilateral hearing loss that develops must be investigated by a doctor. If you go to your library, you will find a number of books on "Audiology" and "Hearing Loss" that will explain some of the reasons that a person may have this type of loss. Thank you for your question and good luck on your assignment. Sincerely, Ms. Ears To continue to the next page of Ms. Ears questions on Hearing Aids click here. Select Another Category Here are some other great questions that real people have asked Ms. Ears.
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