When you think about workplace injuries, do you consider recurrent injuries or acute injuries? Flight crews, ambulance drivers and other careers where there is a lot of noise exposure can wreak havoc on a person’s ability to hear.
WebMD explains hearing loss as a condition where any component of your ear stops functioning properly.
What types of hearing loss exist?
There are several types of hearing loss. The three main types of hearing loss include conductive, sensorineural and mixed. Conductive hearing loss includes your outer or middle ear, whereas sensorineural affects your inner ear. Mixed hearing loss combines problems with your outer ear to problems with the inner ear.
Hearing loss occurs if you have an exposure to loud and ongoing noises.
What are the symptoms of hearing loss?
Sometimes, hearing loss happens slowly over time. You may not notice that you experienced hearing loss at first. You may think that other people talk quietly or you may mistake your hearing loss for a quiet phone speaker.
If you suffer from mild hearing loss, you may have difficulty hearing every word in a conversation if there is background noise. In moderate hearing loss, you may begin to ask people to repeat parts of a conversation to understand it. If you have severe hearing loss, you may be unable to follow a conversation at all. It is near impossible to follow a conversation without the use of a hearing aid. Profound hearing loss is worse still. Profound hearing loss prevents you from hearing others unless they speak loudly.
If you experience hearing loss, you may notice that feminine or childlike voices are difficult to hear.