Did You Hear That?: Signs of Hearing Loss
Of the five senses, hearing is one often taken for granted. People abuse their hearing abilities by various means, and often go unnoticed until hearing loss becomes apparent. Most would attribute hearing loss to old age, but many young people suffer hearing loss as well.
The work environment can be a significant cause of hearing loss. Noisy manufacturing jobs, construction type jobs that utilize power tools such as the jackhammer, and those who work near aircraft or railroad yards to mention a few. Some signs that point to hearing loss are as follows:
1. Inability to listen or understand when more than one person is talking.
2. Having to listen to radio or television at an uncomfortable volume for others.
3. Background noise obstructs ability to hear conversation.
4. Asking people to repeat themselves during conversation.
Those and other tell-tale signs may indicate a need for a hearing test. A simple test performed by an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) physician can help identity any damage to the parts of the ear. To help avoid early hearing loss practice common sense preventative measures; using hearing protection when operating machinery and listening to music at a reasonable level can help tremendously.