What Causes Hearing Loss

When you find your hearing isn’t quite as good as it used to be, it’s natural to question how this might have happened. For some, there are simple answers such as those born with a hearing impairment or those who’ve acquired hereditary conditions. But in most cases, patients have symptoms that appear over time and without an obvious cause. Commonly, doctors diagnose this as noise-induced hearing loss.

What Is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss?

Noise-induced hearing loss results from a person’s exposure to extremely loud sounds. This can happen during one event or over a series of separate occasions. After they’ve been exposed, it’s natural for someone to feel a ringing sound in their ear that slowly reduces, making them feel like they’re cured. But like vision loss, hearing damage doesn’t go away. Their symptoms often become apparent when they have trouble communicating across crowded rooms or find it difficult to understand a grandchild’s voice. As it develops, they’ll find this condition begins to restrict how they can interact with the world around them, if left untreated.

Who Might Be Affected?

In San Antonio, Audicles is especially proud to treat many ex-service personnel who are especially vulnerable to this condition due to their past experiences. Often, they’ll have witnessed explosions without suitable hearing protection or spent long periods listening to heavy gunfire, both likely to trigger noise-induced hearing loss. But it’s something that often affects civilians as well. If someone stood too close to a firecracker or regularly works with industrial equipment, for example, they could be susceptible. Events like these, irrespective of whether they happen once or over time, will cause significant damage to a person’s hearing, which should be treated as soon as possible.

What Should I Do Next?

If you think you might have a hearing problem or know someone else who might, the best thing to do is to book a hearing evaluation with Audicles. Hearing evaluations aren’t invasive and they don’t hurt! Instead, they’re a very simple procedure that will let a trained doctor determine whether you have an issue or not. Using a pair of headphones, they’ll ask you to let them know if you can hear certain sounds. This will allow them to accurately diagnose if you could benefit from certain kinds of treatment. Even if you have perfect hearing, it’s still advisable to book regular check-ups. A primary test can be an invaluable source of information to judge how your hearing changes over time.

There’s no reason why you should live wondering why you can’t hear as well as you used to. Why not request a callback and find out if Audicles can help you experience the world to its fullest?

Do you know somebody that needs to see this? Why not share it?

Dr. Tracy Board Doctor of Audiology

Dr. Board began her career in audiology after completing her undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin and the doctoral program at The University of Texas at Dallas. She has been fortunate to work in a plethora of healthcare and educational settings. As a result, she has perfected the art of effective adult and pediatric treatment. When she is not at the clinic, Dr. Board works directly with her state and national organizations to not only improve the quality of audiological healthcare in Texas, but also to advocate for her patients.