Will Hearing Loss Ever Be Cured?

If you’re experiencing hearing loss of any kind, you may be wondering if it can ever be cured. Although there isn’t a cure for hearing loss, the technology for hearing loss is always advancing.

This means that depending on your level of hearing loss, an audiologist will be able to recommend the best and most technologically advanced treatment option to help restore your hearing — even if it continues to decline over time.

To best understand the treatment options available to you, it’s important to gauge where you fall on the hearing loss scale. The different levels of hearing are typically classified into five categories: mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe, and profound.

Each category is determined by the individual’s hearing threshold in decibels. Follow along as El Dorado Hearing walks you through each of these levels of hearing loss, and you can determine the best plan of action to restore your hearing.

Mild hearing loss

The lowest level of hearing loss is referred to as mild hearing loss. Individuals with mild hearing loss will typically have difficulty hearing and comprehending soft-spoken individuals.

Oftentimes they can hear parts of a conversation but will need to use context clues to piece together the entirety of what is being said. They may have difficulty deciphering conversations outdoors or in areas with loud background noises.

Moderate hearing loss

Moderate hearing loss makes it increasingly more difficult for the individual to pick up on conversations due to hearing fewer context clues. While those with mild hearing loss can pick up on individual words in the sentence, those with moderate hearing loss likely won’t be able to.

At this stage, the individual will frequently ask people to repeat themselves and will often turn up the television or radio to an unnaturally high level to hear it. Those with moderate hearing loss will need some form of treatment, such as hearing aids, to comprehend what noises are or what is being said around them.

Moderately severe hearing loss

Once hearing loss becomes moderately severe, the individual will need hearing aids to converse with the world around them. Without the assistance of a hearing device, most noises and speech will be completely inaudible to the individual.

Using a hearing aid to amplify the individual’s ear’s noise will help them decipher noise and speech. However, it may still be difficult to understand conversations in loud environments where the hearing aid will also be amplifying the background noise.

Severe hearing loss

Once a person reaches severe hearing loss, they will require some form of treatment such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Without a hearing device, speech and noise will be completely inaudible.

Depending on the severity of the hearing loss, an audiologist can help determine the best treatment plan to provide the patient with the clearest hearing possible.

Profound hearing loss

The highest level of hearing loss is known as profound hearing loss. It indicates that the individual has nearly lost the ability to hear at all — even with the assistance of hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Any sound that is quieter than about 90 decibels will go undetected by a person suffering from profound hearing loss.

Schedule a hearing test with El Dorado Hearing of Tucson

To assist in managing your hearing loss, we provide complete hearing evaluations at El Dorado Hearing. Our hearing specialists are highly experienced and provide you with an in-depth hearing assessment to evaluate whether you have hearing loss and the extent to which the loss affects you.

For personalized hearing testing in Tucson, AZ, make El Dorado Hearing of Tucson first on your list. We strive to make our hearing offices comfortable where everyone feels welcome.

If you are ready to regain control of your hearing, visit us at one of our hearing clinics. Contact us today to set up an appointment with one of our caring and expert hearing specialists!