Signs of Hearing Loss

Recognizing the signs of hearing loss in yourself, a parent or family member is the first step to understanding what can be done to regain hearing health.

Physical Signs

• Voices and sounds are muffled.
• Difficulty picking out speech from background noises.
• Voiceless consonant sounds – such as "ess" or "eff" – are difficult to hear.
• Symptoms are worse in even slightly noisy environments or in groups of people.
• Experiencing ringing in the ears that may be symptomatic of Tinnitus.

Behavioural Signs

• Listening to television, radio, or computer audio at a higher volume than in the past.
• Increasing silence during conversations.
• Frequent requests for others to repeat themselves or talk louder.

• Steadily decreasing job performance.

• Appearance of memory loss and lack of desire to try new things.

Emotional Signs

• Reduction or withdrawal from social activities.
• Irritation, anger and frustration during conversations.
• Frequent fatigue or bouts of depression after interaction.
• Increased sense of loneliness and isolation.
• Denial, "I don't have a problem, everyone else does"