Should I Get a Hearing Exam?

At what point should you think about getting your hearing evaluated? Here are several signs you should get your hearing assessed.

Recently, my children expressed discontent with the loud volume of the TV. Do you know what I said to them? I said, “What?!” It was meant to be humerous. But it also wasn’t. The TV has been getting louder and louder. And I started to wonder: Should I get a hearing exam?

There aren’t many reasons not to set up a hearing exam. They’re non-intrusive, they don’t involve any radiation, and you can be at ease without worries about your level of comfort. Just take a quick moment to book an appointment.

Considering how much neglected hearing loss can influence your health, it’s important to be more vigilant about it.

Indications you should get a hearing test

If you’ve recently noticed any signs of hearing loss, it’s probably a good plan to get a professional hearing screening. If it’s hard to hear, it likely means there’s significant hearing impairment.

• It’s difficult to hear in noisy venues: Have you ever been to a crowded or noisy space and had trouble keeping up with the conversation because of all the ambient noise? That may be an indication of hearing loss.
• It sounds like everyone’s mumbling all the time: Sometimes it’s not loss of volume you need to worry about, it’s a loss of definition.
• You regularly miss text messages: Your phone is designed to be loud. If you routinely fail to observe incoming calls or texts, the issue may be that you’re not able to hear them.
• Ringing that won’t go away: Ringing in your ears, also called tinnitus, is typically an indication of hearing damage.

Here are a few other situations that indicate you should arrange a hearing assessment:

• Your ear hasn’t opened after an infection
• Surplus earwax has accumulated and can’t be removed by self-cleaning approaches
• You take specific medications that can damage your hearing
• Identifying where sounds are coming from can be challenging
• You’re experiencing balance issues

Routine hearing assessments

Even if you’re not experiencing any obvious symptoms, it’s still important to schedule regular hearing tests.

• Get a baseline test done at some point after you’re 21.
• For individuals with normal hearing, it’s advised to have a hearing test every three years.
• If you demonstrate signs of hearing loss, have it checked immediately and then annually after that.

Regular screenings may identify hearing loss early, before any symptom are obvious. Early professional attention can substantially improve your chances of maintaining healthy hearing over time. So you should lower the volume on your television and think about aranging a hearing assessment.