COMMON SIGNS OF HEARING LOSS
- Turning up the TV and/or relying on captions
- Difficulty understanding speech from the adjacent room
- Mobile phone missed calls
- Leaving the car indicator on inadvertently
- Trouble understanding the driver’s speech from the back seat of a car
- Trouble understanding religious sermons
- Isolating one conversation in noisy restaurants, cafes, parties, etc
Customer Review
I cannot speak highly enough of Ash Gupta, at Hearing Consultants in Camberwell. From the very first appointment, Ash was thorough, compassionate, and incredibly professional. Not only did he fit me with a hearing aid that has significantly improved my quality of life, but he also went far beyond the expected—his careful and detailed approach led to the early diagnosis of a brain tumour. Thanks to Ash, I was able to seek timely medical treatment, and I am now well on the road to recovery.Ash also guided me through the process of hearing rehabilitation with great care and expertise. His support throughout has been truly outstanding. He is an exceptional clinician with a genuine concern for his patients’ wellbeing, and I will always be grateful for the role he played in both my hearing health and broader medical journey. Highly recommended.
Craig Mackieson
Read moreHEARING LOSS IN CHILDREN
In addition to the above, children may experience delayed speech development, social development and learning difficulties. This is why early identification and intervention is critical.
TYPES OF HEARING LOSS
- Conductive hearing loss is caused by a problem in the outer ear or middle ear. Often treatable so hearing aids may be unnecessary.
- Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by a problem in the inner ear or acoustic nerve. Generally untreatable, leaving two options:
- Hearing aids if there is sufficient hearing to work with
- Cochlear implants (bionic ear) if there is insufficient hearing for hearing aids
- Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a medical emergency that requires urgent attention. Every hour of delaying treatment can compromise the outcome. We recommend presenting yourself to the Alfred Hospital Emergency and Trauma Centre (55 Commercial Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004) which is open 24/7 and requires no appointment.
TINNITUS
- Tinnitus is defined as any sound that originates from inside the body – humming, buzzing, rushing, ringing, whistling, etc
- Over 90% of people experience tinnitus at some point in their lives
- Tinnitus in both ears is generally harmless
- Tinnitus in one ear only requires investigation – please contact us
- Whilst there is no cure, hearing aids can provide significant relief if hearing loss is also present. And LYRIC can provide 24/7 relief.
MY HEARING CAN SOUND MUFFLED, BUT I’M ALSO SENSITIVE TO LOUD, HIGH-PITCHED SOUNDS. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
Hyperacusis is a condition that can affect hearing-impaired people. It’s defined as being more sensitive to loud sounds, sometimes painfully so, which may sound contradictory for somebody with hearing loss. However, it’s more common than you may think.
This is a significant deciding factor in selecting and calibrating hearing aids, in order to ‘cap’ all sounds within a tolerable level.
DOES HEARING LOSS REALLY CAUSE DEMENTIA?
Hearing loss deprives the brainstem of stimulation. This lack of exercise can cause decay, which in turn impairs speech discrimination permanently. In other words, untreated hearing loss can ‘snowball’ irreversibly without intervention.
We now have decades of research investigating the link between hearing loss and dementia. We know that, on average:
- Every 10dB of hearing loss increases the risk of dementia by 16% (Ageing Research Review meta-analysis, July 2024)
- People who wear hearing aids have a 19% lower risk of developing dementia than unaided patients with hearing loss (JAMA Neurology, Feb 2023)
- For those at higher risk of developing dementia (e.g. family history), treatment of hearing loss slows the rate of cognitive decline by an average of 48% over 3yrs (Lancet, 2023)
What about depression? Hearing loss leads to social isolation and withdrawal. In fact, every 10dB of hearing loss increases the risk of clinical depression by 28% (American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, May 2020)
Does hearing loss affect balance? Yes. Adults over 60yo with hearing loss in both ears cut the risk of falls by 50%, on average, when wearing hearing aids (Journal of American Geriatric Society, Oct 2024)
Finally, let’s look at fatigue. Hearing loss means more energy and focus is required to listen, often without even noticing. As listening becomes more ‘active’ and less ‘passive’, this can lead to fatigue, especially in more challenging environments like noisy restaurants with poor acoustics.
So it’s not just about having hearing aids, it’s about using them consistently to maximise brain stimulation.
CENTRAL AUDITORY PROCESSING DISORDER (CAPD)
Sometimes your hearing may be normal, but you still experience listening difficulties, especially in background noise. CAPD cannot be treated with conventional hearing aids, because the ear is working normally. However, there are other options that our patients have found to be very helpful.
