Deafness Symptoms
Deafness can have many symptoms. With deafness being one of the ultimate fears that people experiencing hearing loss will face, knowing the symptoms of deafness allows one to take the necessary steps to adapt.
The problem with loss of hearing is that in most cases, the onset is gradual and you end up not noticing the deterioration of your hearing, until someone points out that you have started yelling 'what' and 'huh?' on a regular basis. That is why it is important that people be made aware of deafness symptoms, so that the problem can be alleviated as soon as possible. After all, while we all claim to appreciate silence, there are also things that can only be appreciated through hearing, such as music, or a good conversation.
First, you should be aware of the types, and levels of deafness. That way, you will have some idea about the degree of your hearing problem before you consult a physician and an audiologist. It can either be conducive or sensorineural. It can also be the effect of tinnitus -- that constant ringing in the ear. With conducive deafness, the problem is not in the inner ear but on how the sound waves are received. With sensorineural deafness, the problem may be on the nerve cells and also on how the brain processes the information about sound. With tinnitus, the constant ringing may cause you to hear imaginary sounds and block the real sounds.
For people with mild hearing loss, an indicator would be the inability to engage in conversation in a noisy atmosphere, or hear sounds even when the source of sound isn't that far away. People with this condition can still hear but may have significantly more trouble talking to people with weak voices and are likely to ask someone to repeat what was being said.
For people with moderate hearing loss, deafness symptoms include not being able to hear speech, especially consonants, well. Sound loss is within 50 to 75% and the same symptoms for mild hearing loss apply, and at times, amplified. When watching TV, sound volumes might also be noticeably higher than what a person of normal hearing is used to. Complaints of not being able to understand what was being said are also common.
People with severe hearing loss experience sound loss of more than 75%. In conversation, there are times when the person cannot hear what is being said, even in places with minimal noise. People with this condition almost always engage in lip-reading to understand the message.
Deafness symptoms vary upon the severity of the problem. And most of the time, it takes another person to point out or comment about the problem, before help is sought. The thing is, if you feel that you may have a hearing problem, it simply cannot be ignored. With help from people who specializes in hearing, finding a solution is not impossible.
