It’s difficult to believe but most people have gone over ten years without having a hearing exam.
Harper is one of them. She schedules a checkup and cleaning with her dentist every six months and she reports dutifully for her yearly medical exam. She even changes her timing belt every 6000 miles. But her hearing test normally gets neglected.
Hearing tests are essential for a wide variety of reasons, early detection of hearing loss being one of the more essential. Knowing how frequently she should get a hearing test will help Harper keep her ears (and hearing) as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
So, just how frequently should you have a hearing exam?
It’s alarming to think that Harper hasn’t taken a hearing test in 10 years. Or we may think it’s perfectly normal. How old she is will greatly determine our reaction. That’s because we have different guidelines based on age.
- If you are over fifty years of age: Once a year is the suggested routine for hearing exams in people over fifty. Hearing loss is more likely to have an impact on your life as you get older because the noise damage that has accumulated over a lifetime will accelerate that impairment. Also, as we get older we’re more likely to be dealing with other health issues that can have an affect on hearing.
- If you are less than fifty years old: Once every 3 to 10 years is recommended for hearing tests. There’s no harm in having your ears tested more frequently, of course! But once every ten years is the bare minimum. And you should be cautious and get tested more often if you work in an occupation that tends to be noisy or if you go to a lot of concerts. After all, it’s painless, easy, and there’s really no good reason not to do it.
You need to have your hearing assessed if you experience any of these signs.
Obviously, there are other occasions, besides the yearly exam, that you might want to come in for a consultation. Signs of hearing loss might begin to appear. And in those cases, it’s important to contact us and schedule a hearing exam.
Here are a few clues that you need a hearing exam:
- Asking people to talk slower or repeat themselves during a conversation.
- Turning your tv or car stereo up to excessively high volumes.
- Having a really tough time hearing people when talking on the phone, mobile or otherwise.
- You suddenly can’t hear out of one ear.
- Your ears sound muffled like you had water in them.
- Trouble hearing conversations in loud environments.
- Having a hard time hearing consonants (in general, consonants are spoken in a higher wavelength than vowels, and it’s those high-frequency sounds that are frequently the first to go as hearing loss sets in.)
When the previously mentioned warning signs start to add up, it’s a good indication that the ideal time to get a hearing exam is right now. The sooner you get your hearing checked, the sooner you’ll know what’s happening with your ears.
What are the advantages of hearing testing?
There are lots of reasons why Harper might be late in getting her hearing test.
Perhaps she hasn’t thought about it.
Maybe she just doesn’t want to deal with it. But there are concrete benefits to having your hearing examined per recommendations.
We can set up a baseline for your hearing, which will help determine any future deviations, even if it’s presently healthy. If you can catch your hearing loss before it becomes noticeable, you can better safeguard it.
Discovering hearing issues before they produce permanent hearing loss is the precise reason someone like Harper should get tested regularly. Catching your hearing loss early by getting your hearing tested when you should will help you keep your ears healthier, longer. Think about the impact of hearing loss on your general health, it’s that important.