When you visit a hearing clinic, your hearing specialist will be conducting a hearing test in order to figure out how mild or severe your hearing impairment is. Doing this will allow both you and your hearing professional to give accurate diagnosis and come up with the appropriate treatment that will best fit your hearing condition.
Here is a basic guide to help you better understand how degrees of hearing loss are measured and classified.
HEARING THRESHOLD & SOUND LEVELS
First of, allow us to give you a quick explanation on what a hearing threshold is.
The softest sound that a person can hear at a certain frequency is what we call the hearing threshold. When you book for a hearing test appointment, you will be asked by your hearing care professional to undergo some activities in order to determine your hearing threshold.
Next, let’s discuss what a decibel is.
Decibel (dB) is a unit used to measure the intensity of sounds. A normal and healthy hearing threshold is 0 dB. Meaning, the higher the threshold is, the more severe the hearing loss is.
DEGREES OF HEARING LOSS
Now, let’s take a look at the different levels of hearing loss. The following items detail each classification and the corresponding hearing threshold or softest sound a hearing loss patient can hear.
Mild Hearing Loss
Hearing Threshold: 26-40 dB
For a person with mild hearing loss, close conversations are fine. However, he will find it difficult to comprehend soft speech, sounds coming from a distance, or those surrounded by background noise.
Moderate Hearing Loss
Hearing Threshold: 41-60 dB
Someone who is experiencing moderate hearing loss has a hard time understanding speeches even at a regular volume and close distance. A person suffering from this degree of hearing impairment finds himself asking people to repeat what they say either in personal conversations or over the telephone.
Severe Hearing Loss
Hearing Threshold: 61-80 dB
A patient with severe hearing loss only understands when sounds are amplified—volumes should be turned up and conversations should be carried out loudly. And so without the use of a powerful hearing device, patients tend to rely on lip-reading in order to comprehend conversations.
Profound Hearing Loss
Hearing Threshold: 81 dB
For someone who has a profound hearing loss, loud sounds can only be perceived as vibrations. In conversations, he or she relies on reading the lips or using sign languages even when sounds are amplified using a hearing device.
There are different ways in order to manage hearing loss and as this article suggests, it depends on the degree of hearing loss of the patient. The same is true for determining which hearing aid is best for you. A more severe level of hearing loss may require a more powerful device.
The best way to determine all these is by setting an appointment with your trusted hearing care clinic. By the way, The Listening Lab offer FREE HEARING TESTS. To avail, all you have to do is visit any of our branches today! Contact our clinics through the following contact numbers:
- Singapore: +65 6817 5100
- Malaysia: +603 7725 9334
About The Listening Lab
Listening Lab is a home-grown company whose mission is to help our clients restore their hearing to enjoy the life that they desire. Experiencing hearing loss can be detrimental to one’s quality of life. Hence we commit to providing high-quality hearing solutions.
Our hearing solutions include hearing tests and treatment and prescribing hearing aids. Clients may come to get their hearing checked, and we will assess whether hearing aids are required.
If hearing aids are required, clients can choose from a variety of the best hearing aid brands we provide. Each of the products offers unique features that complement daily use and perform well in helping our clients enjoy the life that they desire.
