Along with reconnecting you to the sounds of your daily life, hearing loss treatment can improve communication, safety and social connection. Hearing loss treatment often requires specialized attention from an audiologist, but for many, the journey begins with a primary care provider.
If you have an appointment with your doctor to discuss hearing loss concerns, you may find the following information helpful.
Why It Matters
Hearing loss is progressive, meaning it starts off mildly and then gradually worsens over time. This makes it hard to notice at first, but it can cause some major ripple effects on your overall wellness if left untreated. There are known links between hearing loss and balance issues and fall risk, cardiovascular health, stroke risk, memory problems, mental health issues—such as depression and anxiety—and lessened self-efficacy and independence.
Seeing a medical professional for your hearing loss can help with all of these ripple effects, meaning there are wide-ranging benefits to your overall wellness when treating hearing loss.
People who are in the beginning stages of hearing loss probably only have mild hearing difficulties and don’t feel ready yet to seek out specialized care. That’s where your primary care provider can help. Talking to them starts the process of getting the help you need.
How To Bring It Up
Start the conversation with the symptoms you or your loved ones have noticed. These may include:
- Voices sounding faded or muffled
- Asking people to repeat themselves more
- Turning up the TV or music higher and more often
It is also helpful to note when you first noticed these symptoms, environments or situations where it is more difficult to hear, and whether one ear seems worse than the other. Your doctor may also ask about past noise exposure, current medications and family history of hearing loss.
How Your Doctor Can Help
During your appointment, your doctor will examine your ears to check for wax or blockage. They may also perform a basic hearing screening. This preliminary screening can identify whether your hearing loss is due to a treatable cause, such as an infection or earwax buildup, and catch age-related (presbycusis) or noise-induced hearing loss early.
If it’s something treatable, your primary care physician may be able to take care of it. They can prescribe antibiotics to treat an infection or clean out an earwax blockage. If it’s presbycusis or noise-induced hearing loss, they can refer you to an audiologist for a full hearing test.
If you have received a referral to see our team, we look forward to helping you reconnect with your favorite sounds. At Torrance Audiology Center, our team is here to support you through every step of your hearing treatment. We will conduct a screening to determine the specifics of your hearing loss and then help you find the treatment that works best for you, such as hearing aids.