Presbycusis

Presbycusis is defined as the progressive loss of the ability to hear medium and high frequencies, this is due to a deterioration in the auditory system, mainly in the middle ear and auditory nerve, generated by the passage of time, prolonged exposure to noise, trauma, ear infections, hypertension, diabetes, ototoxic medications, etc.

How does presbycusis change my hearing?

In the inner ear, more specifically in the cochlea, there are cells responsible for receiving sound information and transporting it to the brain. With the passage of time, these cells deteriorate and/or disappear, thus diminishing their main function, and therefore the capacity to capture sound will decrease, making it much more difficult to understand hearing in our environment.

How can I prevent or delay presbycusis?

The main and most important preventive measure against this hearing problem is to protect and avoid prolonged exposure to loud sounds, loud music, noisy environments, etc.

Do not insert any object or liquid in our ears, except for any medicine previously prescribed by a qualified health professional.

In case of pain or oozing, seek urgent treatment with a physician.

Healthy diet and exercise at all times, to prevent problems such as hypertension and diabetes from contributing to the development of Presbycusis.

No smoking.

How do I know if I am losing hearing?

Some of the signs and signs and symptoms that we find impede the correct connection with our environment, such as muffling of speech and other sounds, difficulty in understanding or confusing words, especially in environments with background noise, in a group conversation or simply difficulties in listening to the television and therefore increasing the volume of the television.

We can also observe that the model of people with Presbycusis tend to raise the pitch of their voice, that their responses do not match those of the conversation being had and that over time they tend to drop out and isolate themselves from group conversations, causing their mood and character to be negatively affected.

What can I do when I have Presbycusis?

Herein lies the main problem. Presbycusis is a hearing loss that develops over time and is irreversible, but much of it can be recovered with a hearing solution.

A person with early Presbycusis does not detect that he/she has a serious problem until he/she compares and his/her brain restimulates areas that have not been stimulated for a long time. It requires a step-by-step recovery treatment and gradually rehabilitate the patient’s sound sensation.

The most common thought in a person with Presbycusis is that “I don’t need hearing solutions, that they are too expensive and that they are old people’s stuff”. It is necessary to overcome discouragement and think about one’s own wellbeing. It is a path that must be taken with determination and urgency in order to have the best possible quality of life and enjoy life with the loved ones around us.

We are specialists in Visual Health!