Believe it or not, it’s been over 10 years since most individuals have had a hearing exam.
One of those individuals is Harper. She schedules a checkup and cleaning with her dentist every six months and she shows up dutifully for her annual medical test. She even knows to get her timing belt changed every 6000 miles! But her hearing test normally gets ignored.
Hearing assessments are essential for a wide variety of reasons, the most prominent of which is that it’s often challenging for you to detect the earliest symptoms of hearing loss without one. Knowing how frequently she should get her hearing tested will help Harper keep her ears (and hearing) healthy for as long as possible.
So you should have your hearing examined how often?
It’s alarming to think that Harper hasn’t taken a hearing exam in 10 years. Or maybe it isn’t. How old she is will largely determine our reaction. That’s because we have different recommendations based on age.
- For individuals over 50: The general recommendation is that anybody above fifty years old should schedule yearly hearing exams. Hearing loss is more likely to have an affect on your life as you get older because the noise damage that has accumulated over a lifetime will speed up that impairment. Moreover, as we get older we’re more likely to be dealing with other health problems that can have an affect on hearing.
- For individuals under 50: Once every 3 to 10 years is recommended for hearing assessments. Naturally, it’s fine to get a hearing exam more often. But once every ten years is the bare minimum. 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 often. It’s fast, easy, and painless so why wouldn’t you?
You should get your hearing checked if you notice any of these signs.
Undoubtedly, there are other times, besides the yearly exam, that you might want to come in and see us. Perhaps you begin to experience some signs of hearing loss. And when they do you need to make an appointment with us for a hearing test.
Here are a few clues that you need a hearing test:
- Phone conversations are becoming harder to hear.
- Rapid hearing loss in one ear.
- Your ears sound muffled like you had water in them.
- Turning your tv or car stereo up to extremely high volumes.
- You’re having a tough time hearing sounds in higher frequencies like consonants.
- You need people to talk louder or repeat what they said.
- You’re having a tough time making out conversations when you’re in a loud setting.
It’s a solid hint that it’s time to get a hearing exam when the above warning signs begin to accumulate. You’ll know what’s happening with your ears as soon as you come in for an evaluation.
How will a hearing test be beneficial?
Harper could be late getting her hearing checked for several reasons.
It may have slipped her mind.
Maybe she just doesn’t want to deal with it. But there are concrete benefits to having your hearing examined per recommendations.
Even if you believe your hearing is totally healthy, a hearing test will help establish 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 reason for regular hearing tests is that someone like Harper will be able to identify issues before her hearing is permanently diminished. Catching your hearing loss early by getting your hearing tested when you should will help you keep your hearing healthier, longer. If you allow your hearing to go, it can have an impact on your general health.