Believe it or not, it’s been over 10 years since most individuals have had 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 annual medical test. She even gets her timing belt replaced every 6000 miles! But her hearing exam usually gets neglected.
There are lots of reasons to get hearing exams, early detection of hearing loss being one of the more essential. Harper’s ears and hearing will stay as healthy as possible if she determines how frequently to get her hearing checked.
So, just how often should you get a hearing exam?
It’s disconcerting to think that Harper hasn’t taken a hearing test in 10 years. Or we might think it’s completely normal. How old she is will greatly determine our reaction. Depending on age, guidelines will differ.
- For people over 50: Once a year is the suggested schedule for hearing exams in people over fifty. 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 may be other health problems that can affect your hearing.
- If you are less than fifty years old: Once every 3 to 10 years is suggested for hearing assessments. Obviously, it’s ok to get a hearing test more frequently. But once every decade is the bare minimum. And you should play it safe and get checked more often if you work in an occupation that tends to be loud or if you go to a lot of concerts. It’s fast, easy, and painless so why wouldn’t you?
Signs you need to get your hearing tested
Obviously, there are other occasions, besides the annual exam, that you may want to come in for a consultation. Maybe you begin to notice some symptoms of hearing loss. And in those situations, it’s important to reach out to us and schedule a hearing test.
Here are a few indications that you need a hearing exam:
- You need people to speak louder or repeat what they said.
- Your ears sound muffled as if you had water in them.
- You’re having a difficult time hearing sounds in higher frequencies like consonants.
- Phone conversations are becoming harder to hear.
- Trouble hearing conversations in loud environments.
- Cranking your television or car stereo up to extremely high volumes.
- You suddenly can’t hear out of one ear.
It’s a solid hint that it’s time to get a hearing test when the above warning signs start to add up. You’ll know what’s happening with your ears as soon as you come in for an evaluation.
What are the benefits of hearing testing?
Harper may be late having her hearing checked for a number of reasons.
It might have slipped her mind.
Maybe she’s purposely avoiding thinking about it. But getting the suggested hearing tests has concrete benefits.
Even if you believe your hearing is totally healthy, a hearing test will help set a baseline reading, which makes deviations in the future easier to detect. You’ll be in a better position to protect your hearing if you detect any early hearing loss before it becomes obvious.
The point of regular hearing tests is that somebody like Harper will be able to detect issues before her hearing is permanently damaged. Detecting your hearing loss early by getting your hearing checked when you should will help you keep your ears healthier, longer. Think about the effects of hearing loss on your overall health, it’s that important.