10 Ways to Identify Hearing Loss

WISE EARS! ®

Could you or a loved one have noise-induced hearing loss? Millions of Americans areexperiencing hearing loss due to excessive noise exposure and other causes.

10 Ways to Identify Hearing Loss

Take the following quiz to help determine if you need to see a health professional about your hearing:

Do you have a problem hearing over the telephone?
Yes   No

Do you have trouble following the conversation when two or more people are talking at the same time?
Yes   No

Do people complain that you turn the TV volume up too high?
Yes   No

Do you have to strain to understand conversation?
Yes   No

Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy background?
Yes   No

Do you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves?
Yes   No

Do many people you talk to seem to mumble (or not speak clearly)?
Yes   No

Do you misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
Yes   No

Do you have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
Yes   No

Do people get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say?
Yes   No

If you answered “Yes” to three or more of these questions, you may want to see an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose, and throat specialist) or an audiologist for a hearing evaluation.

WISE EARS!® is a national campaign to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. The NIDCD Information Clearinghouse is a service of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Spring 2007 Issue: Volume 2 Number 2 Page 25