HEARING LOSS

   Hearing loss is becoming a problem among adults and at a younger age.  It can begin at any age.  An Ontario man tells of his experience when he was still in his mid thirties.  With nights out and motorcycles revving up their motors, he didn’t notice how much it was affecting his hearing.  When ringing in the ears began he found out that since his job required discriminating hearing he was unable to be employed in his profession in the mechanical field. 

   Another cause is a genetic condition that occurs when there is an abnormal growth of bone in the middle ear called Otosclerosis that interferes with the passage of sound waves where hair cells transform sound vibrations into nerve impulses – creating an earplug effect.  Dr. Arran McAfee, chief of audiology and speech-language pathology at The Ottawa Hospital says if left untouched, can lead to significant conductive hearing loss when a problem in the outer or middle ear stops the vibration of sound from getting to the inner ear.  Gradual hearing loss includes the inability to distinguish between low pitched sounds.  Surgery can be performed to remove the bone growth and replace it with a prosthetic device that allows sound to pass normally.  This can often correct this hearing loss associated with this condition.

   Tinnitus, the Latin word meaning “to ring or tinkle,” is another condition that is experienced by more than 360,000 Canadians.  This ringing, hissing, chirping, roaring, or buzzing occurs at many levels usually begins at age 60 and should be brought to a professional to have it tested.  Impacted cerumen (another word for earwax) can be removed in your doctor’s office.  My doctor suggested that putting a drop of olive oil in the offending ear for several nights could soften the earwax.

   “Beyond limiting the amount of noise you are experiencing, there is not a lot can be done.” Hospital’s Dr. McAfee says.  “Diligently using hearing protection - can helping when around very loud noises – even when mowing the lawn or using power tools can help as well as keeping all volumes low whenever possible, and do not be afraid to use low-sound ear plugs and being aware of all loud noises (like fire drills) during your exposure to them and the amount of time between exposures.  “Avoiding high blood pressure and diabetes and living a healthy lifestyle helps.  Never poke with cotton swabs which can get pushed into the canal and possibly damage the eardrum,” adds Dr. McAfee’s assistant, Cathy Cooke.