According to one recent survey, nearly 30% of people have gone more than ten years without getting a hearing test. Sofia is one of those people. She knows to have her oil changed every 3000 miles, she has a checkup with the dentist every six months, and she reports punctually for her yearly medical examination. But she has no idea the last time she had a hearing exam or underwent any kind of accurate hearing evaluation.
Hearing evaluations are essential for a wide variety of reasons, finding first symptoms of hearing loss is perhaps the most essential one. Sophia can keep her hearing healthy for a much longer period of time by recognizing how frequently to get her ears tested.
How Frequently Do You Need to Get a Hearing Examination?
We might be alarmed if Sophia hadn’t had a hearing test in ten years. Or we may think it’s perfectly normal. Our reaction, and the reaction of her hearing specialist, likely will vary depending on how old she is. That’s because hearing specialists have different recommendations based on age.
- It’s generally suggested that you take a hearing exam about every three years. There’s no problem having your ears checked more frequently, of course! The bare minimum is every three years. You should certainly get tested more frequently if you spend a lot of time in a loud environment. It’s straight forward and painless and there’s really no reason not to do it.
- If you are older than fifty: The standard suggestion is that anybody older than fifty should get hearing checks every year. As you get older, the noise damage you’ve incurred over a lifetime can begin to speed up, meaning hearing loss is more likely to start impacting your life. Also, there are other health problems that can affect your hearing.
If you would like to undergo hearing screenings or tests more frequently, there’s certainly no harm in that, at least when it comes to your hearing. The sooner you detect any issues, the sooner you’ll be able to address whatever loss of hearing that might have developed since your last hearing exam.
You Should Get Your Hearing Checked if You Notice These Signs
There are definitely other times besides your yearly hearing exam that you might want to schedule an appointment with your hearing specialist. In some cases, you begin to notice some symptoms of hearing loss. And in those instances, it’s usually a good plan to immediately contact a hearing specialist and schedule a hearing test.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- Having a hard time hearing consonants (generally speaking, consonants are spoken in a higher pitch than vowels, and it’s those high-frequency sounds that are generally the first to go as hearing loss takes hold)
- Cranking your television or car stereo to extremely high volumes (if your neighbors begin to complain, that’s a good indication you should see a hearing specialist soon).
- Difficulty hearing discussions in loud environments.
- Having a very difficult time comprehending people when talking on the phone, mobile or otherwise
- Sounds become muffled; it starts to sound as though you constantly have water in your ears.
- When you’re speaking with people, you repeatedly need to keep asking people to speak up.
A good sign that right now is the best time to have a hearing exam is when the warning signs start to accumulate. You need to know what’s happening with your ears and that means getting a hearing test as soon as possible.
What Are The Advantages of Hearing Testing?
Sophia might be late for her hearing exam for several reasons. Denial is a leading choice. Maybe she’s just avoiding thinking about it. But getting your hearing tested on the recommended schedule has tangible advantages.
Even when your hearing is totally healthy, a hearing exam can help create a standard reading, which makes variances in the future simpler to detect. You can protect your hearing better if you detect it before it becomes problematic.
The point of regular hearing assessment is that somebody like Sofia will be in a position to recognize problems before her hearing is impaired permanently. Early detection by a hearing test can help your hearing stay healthy for a long time. It’s essential to think about how hearing loss will affect your general state of health.