Changes to your hearing begins at a very early age, and in fact by the time we are in our 20's our ability to hear very high pitched sounds apparent in our early childhood has already begun to diminish.
Most hearing loss occurs gradually throughout our life, but because we are unaware of the changes we adapt our lifestyles and communication techniques to cope. In fact, in most cases we can be unaware that we have lost aspects of our hearing ability until much later in life and it is often someone close to us that will approach the subject first.
This gradual, age related hearing loss is associated with the inner ear. It is here that thousands of delicate hair cells transform noises into recognisable sounds. They help us to distinguish speech, for example, from unwanted background noise. It is the ongoing wear and tear of these hair cells that impairs our ability to differentiate between sounds and reduces our clarity of hearing.
Hearing loss may also be caused or exacerbated by the following:
• Prolonged and repeated exposure to loud noise
• Ear infections
• Perforated ear drums
• Serious infections such as meningitis and measles
• Family history of hearing loss |
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