When should you have your hearing tested? You need a hearing test if you have any of these four signs.
I guess my TV is regularly turned up to the point where my kids recently complained. And guess what my reply was. I said, “What”? It was a joke. I thought it was amusing. But it also wasn’t. The TV has been getting progressively louder. And I began to ask myself: should I get a hearing test?
It really doesn’t make much sense to avoid getting a hearing test. Hearing tests don’t cause you any discomfort, they’re non-invasive, and there’s no radiation. You’ve most likely just been putting it off.
You should really be more vigilant about keeping track of your hearing because, if left untreated, it can impact your general health.
There are lots of good reasons why hearing evaluations are important. Even slight hearing loss can have an affect on your health and it’s almost impossible to identify early hearing loss without a hearing examination.
So how can you recognize if you should make an appointment? Here are some signs that it’s time.
You should get your hearing tested if you observe these signs
If you’ve recently experienced any of the signs of hearing loss, it’s probably a smart plan to get a professional hearing screening. Obviously, if things are difficult to hear, that’s a pretty strong indication of hearing loss.
But that’s not the only symptom, and there are some signs of hearing loss that are much less obvious:
- Persistent ringing in your ears: Ringing in your ears, which goes by the name of tinnitus, is typically a sign of hearing damage. Ringing in the ear may or may not point to hearing loss. But if the ringing won’t go away, you should absolutely call us for a hearing evaluation.
- You always miss alerts for text messages: Your phone (or mobile device, as they’re called these days) is made to be loud. So if you keep finding text messages or calls that you failed to hear, it’s probably because you couldn’t hear them. And maybe, when you think about it, you’re failing to hear more everyday sounds.
- It seems like people are mumbling when they speak: Sometimes, it’s not loss of volume you need to be concerned with, it’s a loss of distinction. Difficulty following along with conversations is one of the first signs that something is going bad with your hearing. It may be time for a hearing exam if you detect this occurring more and more often.
- You have a hard time hearing when you’re in a loud setting: Have you ever been to a crowded or loud space and had trouble hearing the conversation because of all the background noise? If this sounds familiar you could be developing hearing loss. Being able to identify sounds is one indication of healthy hearing; this ability tends to wane as hearing loss worsens.
Here are a few other situations that indicate you should make an appointment for a hearing screening:
- You take certain medications that can harm your hearing
- Your ear hasn’t cleared after an infection
- Your ears are not removing earwax completely
- You’re experiencing episodes of vertigo
- It’s difficult to determine the source of sounds
This list is certainly not exhaustive. For instance, if your TV’s volume is at max and you still can’t hear it. It would be a smart idea to look into any of these symptoms.
Routine examinations
But what if, to your knowledge, you haven’t encountered any of these potential signs of hearing loss? So how often should you get your hearing checked? There’s a guideline for everything else, right, so there’s got to be a guideline for this. Well, yes, there are suggestions.
- Get a primary exam done sometime after you’re 21. Then your mature hearing will have a baseline.
- Every three years or so will be a good schedule if your hearing appears healthy. That can be a huge chunk of time to pay attention to, so make sure they’re noted in your medical records somewhere.
- If you notice signs of hearing loss, you will want to get it assessed immediately, and then annually after that.
Routine examinations can help you identify hearing loss before any warning signs appear. You will have a better chance of maintaining your hearing over time the sooner you get examined. So it’s time to give us a call and make an appointment for a hearing assessment.