Hearing Loss
Information on hearing loss, balance, and other hearing disorders.
Hearing Health
Good hearing is an essential part of overall health and well-being. Healthy hearing promotes effective communication, good balance, and strong cognitive abilities. It’s important to take care of your hearing in order to keep other aspects of your health in check.
Age is one of the leading causes of hearing loss. However, other health conditions can weaken hearing ability, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. For this reason, it’s important to have your hearing screened on a regular basis, especially if you have other health conditions.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is the most common type of hearing loss. This occurs when the hair cells in the inner ear – which are responsible for hearing – begin to naturally deteriorate. This happens over time and can be difficult to notice until it’s too late. If you have noticed a decline in your hearing ability, contact us for an appointment.
Some common indicators of hearing loss include:
- Sounds seem muffled
- It’s difficult to hear when there is background noise
- You frequently ask people to repeat themselves
- You can hear but you lack clarity
- You turn the volume up on the TV or radio louder than others like
- You hear a ringing in your ears
- A loved one has suggested you have your hearing tested
Tinnitus
Commonly known as “ringing in the ears,” tinnitus is when you hear sounds in your ears or head that are not externally present. Tinnitus can be perceived by everyone differently. For some people, they only hear tinnitus occasionally and for a few seconds, while others may hear the phantom sounds constantly.
Tinnitus itself is not a disease, but rather a symptom of another underlying health condition. Some causes of tinnitus include hearing loss, head trauma, loud noise exposure, ototoxic medications, or stress/anxiety. To determine what the cause of your tinnitus is, a comprehensive hearing evaluation should be performed.
During the hearing evaluation our audiologists will also conduct a tinnitus test to determine what has caused your tinnitus and how it affects you. Then, based on your results, we will come up with a treatment plan that provides you with relief from ringing in the ears.
Hearing and Balance
Hearing and balance are closely related. Our sense of balance comes from within the cochlea, which is where our hearing nerve is located. Because of the proximity of the two, individuals often experience problems with their hearing and balance together.
Although balance and hearing problems can happen at the same time, people can experience balance problems without ever having hearing loss. It is important though to have your hearing tested if you are experiencing sudden dizziness, unsteadiness, or other balance problems to ensure your hearing has not been impacted as well.
The audiologists at Federal Way Audiology are experts in balance disorders and offer VNG testing to identify the cause of your dizziness. Our team will work closely with you to create a treatment plan that allows you to feel your best again.
Office
Address:
34709 9th Ave. South
Suite B 200
Federal Way, WA 98003
Phone Number:
Hours:
Mon - Thurs: 9 - 5
Fri: 9 - 4
