Close up of a female doctor carefully holding the ear of his patient to establish a clearer view of the inside of his ear, to see if he requires hearing aids at a modern clinic
Hearing loss is a common problem that gets worse over time. Surprisingly, 80% of people who can bene t from hearing aids aren’t using them. This includes the 1.1 billion people in the world who are affected by hearing loss, as well as 1 in every 3 people over 60 years old!
Here are the top 5 common hearing loss myths and why they are not as true as you may have thought:
1. You Can Repair Your Hearing with Medicine or Surgery
While we don’t have a “cure” for hearing loss yet, there are many studies and research projects that
are showing promise. People with severe hearing loss can opt for cochlear implant surgery, which may reduce their hearing loss, but for less severe conditions, hearing aids are still the most effective devices to help!
2. Only Older People Are Affected By Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can affect people of all ages, ranging from newborns to the elderly. According to the World Health Organization, 34 million children worldwide suffer from disabling hearing loss and over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.
3. Hearing Aids Are Too Expensive
If you’re diagnosed with a loss of hearing and your insurance won’t cover your hearing aids, don’t give up! Talk to your audiologist and they can point out resources to help.
4. Hearing Aids Are Only for Severe Hearing Loss
Audio waves have a broad spectrum of frequencies which
an undamaged ear can easily pick up. However, just a mild hearing loss can cause you to miss out
on higher and lower frequencies that are essential for helping you interpret people’s intonation during a conversation. So yes, hearing aids are beneficial for mild hearing loss as well as severe hearing loss.
5. Hearing Aids Are Obvious and Ugly
Audio waves have a broad spectrum of frequencies. Meaning even a mild hearing loss means you can miss out on the higher or lower frequencies that are essential for helping you interpret people’s intonation during conversations, hearing children laughter and even birds singing. Hearing aids can help with mild as well as severe hearing loss!