Getting your hearing tested is an essential part of keeping it healthy. It can reveal whether a decline in your hearing is caused by age or other medical issues.
It is also helpful in identifying certain medical ear conditions that can cause hearing loss or tinnitus later. You can prevent these issues by taking regular screening tests.
Age-Related Changes
Many people think hearing changes as they age is average, but this isn’t always true. Often, the impact of an issue on hearing can be a symptom of something else that is going on with your body or medical condition, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s.
Regular screenings will allow your doctor to catch these issues early on, allowing you to address them sooner. This will help you enjoy a better quality of life and prevent issues like tinnitus from taking a toll on your overall health.
Generally speaking, it is recommended that men schedule a hearing check-up every ten years until age 50 and then every three years after. However, it is best to consult with expert Sudbury audiology services – enhance your hearing health today.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Regular hearing screenings are so important because they help identify the signs of hearing loss as they occur. This is a massive advantage over people who ignore their appointments and don’t get checked out at all, as it can be challenging to know when there is a problem until you start asking your friends and family to repeat themselves or the TV volume needs to be turned up to be heard.
A simple screening will check how well you hear beep-like sounds (known as a pure-tone test) or speech in noise and may also include tympanometry to look for any middle ear issues, such as fluid behind the eardrum or perforated ear drum.
Those who let their hearing problems go untreated often find it takes a long time to realize that they need to seek professional help, as the changes can happen gradually and don’t always show obvious symptoms, much like going gray does not suddenly occur overnight. With the proper treatment, it is far easier to manage hearing loss and the other effects of aging as early as possible.
Medical Conditions
Men diagnosed with a medical condition affecting their hearing should schedule regular hearing tests. Some conditions, like diabetes, can cause sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. The earlier this happens, the more effective treatment will be.
In many cases, hearing loss occurs gradually, which can lead to it going unnoticed. However, a hearing test can show early signs of medical problems and uncover hidden obstacles. For example, a simple tympanometry evaluation can reveal if you have a ruptured eardrum or fluid buildup in the middle ear, which commonly causes hearing loss.
Everyone depends on you for their health and well-being, even your ears. Just as you habitually schedule routine check-ups with your doctor, so should you schedule regular screenings for your hearing. Adding these hearing check-ups to your annual check-ups will help prevent future hearing damage, ensure a better quality of life, and preserve your overall health.
Hearing Aids
Like other aspects of our health, hearing is an area where regular screenings are essential. While many adults tend to think that they don’t need a hearing test until they begin to notice a deterioration in their ability to hear, the fact is that the decline in hearing can start much earlier.
Regular hearing tests can help to pick up issues that would not be evident to the naked eye, such as tinnitus or a loss in sound clarity. If left untreated, these issues can progress to severe hearing loss that is difficult to treat and may necessitate a hearing aid.
A hearing test is also helpful for individuals regularly exposed to loud noises, such as those in the music industry. These tests can highlight the extent of any damage and allow for steps to protect against further harm, such as advising on the use of ear protection or a change in the work environment.