Hearing loss can be gradual; know the signs - Florida Today
It’s important to know how to protect your hearing from loud noises, especially persistent ones.
(Photo: Getty Images)Hearing degeneration is often gradual, with people waiting to seek treatment until it poses a big enough threat to their health and wellbeing to seek help from a professional.
Many people suffer hearing loss in isolation.
An estimated 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss, with even mild versions associated with social isolation, depression and even escalated dementia symptoms.
Dr. Liz White is an audiologist with 15 years of experience who opened a private practice in Melbourne in January 2019.
Dr. Liz White runs a private audiology practice in Melbourne.
(Photo: Provided by Dana Neimeier)She treats patients age 5 and up who are struggling with hearing loss but has a bigger-picture goal for the community: hearing health prevention.
“Not many people realize that hearing loss can start at a young age and that it affects people of all ages,” White said. “We have our eyes and teeth checked, but we put off hearing until it is such a large problem that we can no longer ignore it.”
As an audiologist, White is passionate in her message that hearing quality affects overall health.
Problems such as cardiovascular disease, depression, injuries from falls, diabetes and social isolation are exacerbated with any level of hearing loss, White says.
“The risk of dementia, for example, increases with the severity of hearing loss,” White said. “If we aren’t stimulating the brain with hearing, one of our five senses, then we are letting that part slowly fade.”
As a result, prioritizing hearing health is White’s mission. In addition to traditional hearing assessments such as tone and speech testing, White incorporates analysis that goes below surface level.
“So often people schedule appointments because they are having difficulty but a pure tone test in a quiet setting, or even a speech test in quiet, does not tell the whole story,” White said.
One of the non-linear hearing assessments that White performs is for hidden hearing loss.
This disorder cannot be detected by a normal sound or tone test because hidden hearing loss affects nerve cells that connect the cochlea in the inner ear to the brain.
As a result, the brain receives less information from the ear, struggling to interpret that information correctly.
“Hidden hearing loss actually describes me perfectly. I have normal hearing but if you put me in a noisy bar or restaurant, I struggle,” White said. “My understanding falls apart in that type of noise.”
This type of hearing loss can feel more like social anxiety and is treated that way — when in actuality, there is a physical problem.
Hidden hearing loss is tested by using more than the standard beeps and repetition of words.
White believes in testing speech in a more realistic format, with noise surrounding the test, replicating a real world environment such as a restaurant or party.
Soon White will begin testing patients for a similar condition — auditory processing disorder — a condition where comprehension of sounds are not fully absorbed by the brain.
Auditory processing disorder is often associated with children who are having trouble in learning environments but White says many adults may struggle with it and are unaware.
White was recently tested by another audiologist for auditory processing disorder. This testing involves listening to words and sentences presented simultaneously to both ears. The person being tested has to repeat what he or she hears or combine the words. White failed the assessment.
“I really struggled with the test," White said. "I knew I was failing it.”
She has using that experience to build a treatment plan for patients that includes reducing distractions during conversations and generally focusing more on individual sounds.
Brian Sinar, 36, of Satellite Beach came to White's office after winning a gift certificate for a custom set of earplugs, something White recommends for all her patients to have on hand.
“I recently used the earplugs while cutting down a tree with a chainsaw. I originally started the day with the basic foam ear plugs and then switched to the custom earplugs that Dr. White made for me,” Sinar said. “I immediately noticed a huge difference. The custom earplugs blocked out so much more noise. I threw out the foam ones.”
While being fitted for his custom earplugs, White noticed that Sinar had a blockage in his ear and she helped clear out the ear passage.
“Dr. White asked me about other situations that could potentially damage my hearing and ear health and how to protect myself,” Sinar said.
Pete Fiske, 67, of Melbourne sought out White’s help with extreme tinnitus, or ringing, in his left ear.
“She adjusted and fine-tuned my hearing aids to improve my treatment, even discovering that one of my hearing aids was faulty and arranging for its repair,” Fiske said.
Dishing out advice to her patients is just a small piece of the change White hopes to make in Brevard when it comes to hearing health.
Pre-coronavirus shutdowns, she could be found frequently at community events with a table set up with earplugs and other freebies for attendees.
Leading up to the Fourth of July, White encourages people to protect their ears — and think about how everyday things and celebrations affect long term hearing.
“Hearing loss is typically a slow progressive disease that sneaks up on you,” White said. “Really, we just need to think about what we are doing to our ears now.”
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