It’s hard to believe but most individuals have gone over ten years without getting a hearing exam.
Harper is one of them. She schedules a cleaning and checkup with her dentist every six months and she reports dutifully for her yearly medical test. She even replaces her timing belt every 6000 miles. But she always forgets to schedule her hearing test.
There are lots of reasons to get hearing tests, early detection of hearing loss being one of the more essential. Determining how frequently she should get their hearing tested will help Harper keep her ears (and hearing) healthy for as long as possible.
So, just how often should you get a hearing test?
It’s alarming to think that Harper hasn’t taken a hearing exam in 10 years. Or maybe it isn’t. Our reaction will differ depending on her age. That’s because we have different guidelines based on age.
- If you are over fifty years old: The general recommendation is that anybody above fifty years old should make an appointment for yearly hearing exams Hearing loss is more likely to have an impact on your life as you age because the noise damage that has accumulated over a lifetime will speed up that impairment. In addition, there might be other health issues that can affect your hearing.
- If you are less than fifty years old: Once every 3 to 10 years is suggested for hearing assessments. There’s no harm in having your ears tested more frequently, of course! But once every ten years is the bare minimum. And you should play it safe and get checked more frequently if you work in a job that tends to be noisy or if you go to a lot of concerts. After all, it’s painless, easy, and there’s really no practical reason not to do it.
Signs you should have your hearing assessed
Obviously, there are other occasions, besides the annual exam, that you may want to come in and see us. Perhaps you start to notice some signs of hearing loss. And when they do you need to make an appointment with us for a hearing exam.
Some of the clues that should motivate you to get a hearing test include:
- Having a hard time hearing consonants (in general, consonants are spoken in a higher wavelength than vowels, and it’s those high-frequency sounds that are frequently the first to go as hearing loss sets in.)
- Asking people to talk slower or repeat what they said during a conversation.
- Cranking your tv or car stereo up to extremely high volumes.
- Difficulty hearing conversations in loud environments.
- Phone conversations are becoming harder to hear.
- Sounds become muffled; it starts to sound as if you always have water in your ears.
- You abruptly can’t hear out of one ear.
When the previously mentioned warning signs start to add up, it’s a good indication that the perfect time to get a hearing test is right now. You’ll know what’s happening with your ears as soon as you come in for a test.
What are the advantages of hearing testing?
Harper may be late getting her hearing checked for several reasons.
Perhaps she hasn’t thought about it.
Maybe she’s purposely avoiding thinking about it. But getting the recommended hearing tests has concrete benefits.
Even if you believe your hearing is perfectly healthy, a hearing exam will help set a baseline reading, which makes deviations in the future easier to detect. If you can detect your hearing loss before it becomes obvious, you can better protect it.
Detecting hearing issues before they cause permanent hearing loss is the exact reason somebody like Harper should get tested regularly. Your ears will remain healthy longer by having these regular screenings. If you let your hearing go, it can have an impact on your overall health.