According to one recent survey, nearly 30% of people have gone more than ten years without getting a hearing test. Sofia is one of those people. She goes to her yearly doctor’s appointments, she sees a dentist every six months, and she has an oil change in her car every 3000 miles. But she can’t remember the last time she took a hearing test or underwent any kind of accurate hearing assessment.
Hearing exams are essential for a wide range of reasons, the most important of which is that it’s often difficult for you to discover the earliest signs of hearing loss if you don’t get one. Sophia can keep her hearing healthy for a lot longer by knowing how frequently to have her hearing tested.
How Often Each Year Should my Hearing Get Tested?
If the last time Sofia took a hearing examination was ten years ago, we may be worried. Or perhaps we don’t think anything of it. Our reaction, and the reaction of her hearing specialist, most likely will vary depending on how old she is. That’s because hearing specialists have different guidelines based on age.
- If you’re older than fifty: The universal recommendation is that anyone over the age of fifty should have hearing checks every year. As you get older, the noise damage you’ve sustained over a lifetime can start to accelerate, meaning hearing loss is more likely to start impacting your life. Plus, there are other health problems that can impact your hearing.
- It’s generally suggested that you have a hearing test every three years or so. Obviously, if you feel you should get your ears examined more often, there is no harm. The minimum is every three years. If you are exposed to loud noise repeatedly or work at a job where noise is typical, you should err on the side of getting tested more often. There’s no reason not to get it done, it’s painless and simple.
If you want to have hearing examinations or tests more frequently, there’s certainly no harm in that, at least when it comes to your hearing. The sooner you identify any issues, the more quickly you’ll be able to address whatever hearing loss that may have developed since your last hearing test.
You Should Get Your Hearing Checked if You Notice These Signs
There are certainly other occasions besides your annual hearing exam that you might want to schedule an appointment with your hearing professional. For instance, if you notice symptoms of hearing loss. And in those circumstances, it’s often a good idea to promptly get in touch with a hearing professional and schedule a hearing test.
Some of the signs that might prompt you to get a hearing test could include:
- Turning your music to extremely high volumes (if your neighbors start complaining, that’s a good indication you need to see a hearing specialist soon).
- It’s normal for loss of hearing in the high pitched register to go first and since consonants are in a higher pitched register than vowels, they usually go first.
- Sounds become muffled; it starts to sound as though you constantly have water in your ears.
- Having a very hard time understanding people when talking on the phone, any phone.
- Continually asking people to slow down or repeat themselves during a conversation.
- Problems hearing conversations in noisy environments.
A good indication that right now is the best time to have a hearing test is when the warning signs begin to accumulate. The sooner you have your hearing screened, the sooner you’ll know what’s going on with your hearing.
Hearing Tests, What Are The Advantages?
Sophia may be late for her hearing exam for several reasons. Denial is a leading choice. Maybe she’s just avoiding thinking about it. But getting your hearing tested on the recommended schedule has concrete benefits.
Even when your hearing is completely healthy, a hearing exam can help create a standard reading, which makes variances in the future simpler to detect. If you detect your hearing loss before it becomes noticeable, you can protect it better.
The reason for regular hearing assessment is that somebody like Sofia will be enabled to detect issues before her hearing is permanently impaired. By catching your hearing loss early, by getting your hearing tested when you should, you’ll be giving your ears their best chance of staying healthy. It’s essential to consider how hearing loss will impact your general health.