Signs of Hearing Loss

"There are several ways that you can recognize that you are starting to develop a hearing loss. With hearing loss it does happen in most cases very gradually, so it tends to sneak up on some people, but there are some tell tale signs. Perhaps the most common sign is you start to feel that people are mumbling, you can hear them speaking, but they're not speaking clearly. Another sign is that you need to request repetition more frequently than others, particularly in back ground noise. Another warning sign that there's been some damage to your hearing is a phenomena that we know as tinnitus or tenitus and that's a ringing or a buzzing or a hissing sound in your ears. If you think you have hearing loss or any questions about your hearing it is important to get it tested. If you feel that you have a hearing loss it's, there's two steps that are very important. One is to get a medical consult, so consult your family physician. The other step that is very important is to get a very thorough audiologic assessment completed and that would need to be known by an audiologist. Your family practitioner could refer you to an audiologist, in most states and in most provinces a physician referral is not required so you could also go direct to the audiologist."