If a physician suspects that a patient has a hearing loss, the physician may refer the person to an audiologist or hearing specialist for a hearing evaluation. Hearing tests are used to detect hearing loss and measure the degrees of hearing loss. Other characteristics of the hearing loss may also be measured with hearing tests.
There are categories describing levels of the severity of hearing impairments. The degrees of hearing loss are categorized by ranges of decibels. The hearing test determines the softest sound that the person can hear. The measurement of the decibels of the softest detectable sound is used to determine which level of hearing loss.
If the softest sound heard is twenty-five decibels or less, the person is considered to have normal hearing. Sometimes, the range of sixteen to twenty-five decibels is considered a slight hearing loss.
Mild hearing loss is detected if the softest sound is twenty-six to forty decibels. A mild hearing loss may not cause much difficulty in communication or functioning. In environments with significant background noise or if the person is distant from the speaker, a mild hearing loss can be problematic.
If the quietest sound heard is forty-one to fifty-five decibels, this indicates a moderate hearing loss. The range of fifty-six to seventy decibels is labeled as moderately severe hearing loss.
A hearing loss that causes the person to be unable to hear sounds below seventy-one decibels but allows the person to hear sounds less than ninety decibels is considered a severe hearing loss. If the person has a hearing loss of ninety-one decibels or more, the hearing loss is called a profound hearing loss.
Measuring the degrees of hearing loss helps determine the best course of treatment for the hearing loss. The severity of the hearing loss is not the only factor considered when deciding on the best treatment. The cause of the hearing loss and the person’s lifestyle are often considered. If a hearing aid is determined to be the best treatment, the degree of hearing loss may dictate which type of hearing aid is best for that degree of hearing loss.
