50+ Lifestyles

Ask the Audiologist

By Laura Mergen, Au.D., CCC-A
Audiology Consultants, P.C.

Question:
What does it mean when I hear that I have a 50 percent hearing loss?

Answer:

Unfortunately, while using percentages would make understanding hearing loss quite a bit easier, it is not at all an accurate way to describe your hearing loss for a couple of reasons.

First, when we test your hearing, we test your ability to hear multiple tones, from low pitch to high pitch. Some people have hearing loss only in the high pitches. Some people have hearing loss at all the pitches but their hearing is worse in the low pitches. Other people have equal hearing loss at all the pitches. Each of these different types of hearing loss could potentially be considered a 50 percent hearing loss, but they will affect each person’s ability to understand speech in completely different ways.

Next, it is possible that two people with the exact same hearing loss are still affected differently by their hearing loss. Your ability to hear tones doesn’t tell us about your ability to understand words. It doesn’t tell us anything about your brain’s ability to process speech when there is background noise present. Those tones don’t give us any information about how you might be struggling to understand the TV or certain family members on the phone. Your sense of hearing and your ability to understand are very complex and require a more thorough description.

Laura Mergen is an audiologist at Audiology Consultants, P.C. For more information consult our ad in this publication for store locations and phone numbers.