Believe it or not, it’s been over 10 years since most individuals have had a hearing assessment.
One of those people is Harper. She schedules a cleaning and checkup with her dentist every six months and she reports dutifully for her annual medical exam. She even replaces her timing belt every 6000 miles. But her hearing exam normally gets neglected.
There are lots of reasons to get hearing tests, early detection of hearing loss being one of the more essential. Harper’s ears and hearing will stay as healthy as possible if she knows how frequently to get her hearing checked.
So you should get your hearing examined how often?
If the last time Harper got a hearing assessment was over ten years ago, that’s alarming. Or perhaps it isn’t. How old she is will largely determine our reaction. Depending on age, guidelines will differ.
- If you are over fifty years old: The general suggestion is that anyone over the age of fifty should schedule annual hearing tests Hearing loss is more likely to have an impact on your life as you get older because the noise damage that has built-up over a lifetime will accelerate that impairment. Moreover, as we age we’re more likely to have other health conditions that can have an affect on hearing.
- For people under 50: It’s generally recommended that you have a hearing exam once every three to ten years or so. Obviously, it’s ok to get a hearing assessment more frequently. But the bare minimum is once every ten years. If you’ve been exposing yourself to loud concert noise or work in an industry with high volume levels, you should err on the side of caution and get tested more frequently. It’s fast, simple, and painless so why not come in?
Indications you need to get your hearing tested
Obviously, there are other times, besides the yearly exam, that you may want to come in and see us. Perhaps you start to notice some signs of hearing loss. And in those cases, it’s important to get in touch with us and schedule a hearing test.
A few of the signs that should prompt you to have a hearing exam include:
- Your ears seem muffled as if you had water in them.
- The volume on your stereo or TV is getting louder and louder.
- You’re having a hard time hearing sounds in higher frequencies such as consonants.
- You suddenly can’t hear out of one ear.
- Phone conversations are becoming harder to hear.
- You need people to talk louder or repeat what they said.
- Difficulty hearing conversations in noisy environments.
It’s a solid hint that it’s time to get a hearing test when the above warning signs begin to accumulate. The sooner you get your hearing tested, the sooner you’ll know what’s going on with your ears.
How will a hearing test help?
Harper could be late having her hearing checked for several reasons.
Maybe she hasn’t thought about it.
Maybe she just doesn’t want to deal with it. But getting the suggested hearing tests has concrete benefits.
Even if you believe your hearing is completely healthy, a hearing test will help set a baseline reading, which makes deviations in the future easier to identify. If you can catch your hearing loss before it becomes obvious, you can better safeguard it.
The point of regular hearing tests is that somebody like Harper will be able to identify issues before her hearing is permanently damaged. Your ears will stay healthy longer by having these regular screenings. If you allow your hearing to go, it can have an affect on your overall health.
