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It’s time to get the facts and myths about hearing loss. Once you know the facts, you can better understand what causes hearing loss, how hearing loss might be impacting you and how you can protect your hearing. So today in our blog, we’ll share some of the most common hearing loss myths that have kept people from addressing their problem until it became much worse.

Myth #1
Your Hearing Loss cannot be helped.

Fact
In the past, many people with hearing loss in one ear, with a high frequency hearing loss, or with nerve damage have all been told they cannot be helped, often by their family practice physician. This might have been true many years ago, but with modern advances in technology, nearly 95% of people with a sensorineural hearing loss can be helped with hearing aids.

Myth #2
Only people with serious hearing loss need hearing aids.

Fact
The need for hearing amplification depends on your lifestyle and the degree of your hearing loss. If you are a lawyer, teacher or a group psychotherapist, where very refined hearing is necessary to discern the nuances of human communication, then even a mild hearing loss can be intolerable. If you live in a rural area by yourself and seldom socialize, then perhaps you are someone who is tolerant of moderate hearing loss.

Myth #3
Living with hearing loss is not a big deal.

Fact
Hearing loss can affect your success at work, impede your earning potential and make it difficult to communicate with family and friends. The sooner your hearing loss is treated, the sooner you can overcome professional and social limitations, enhance your language and listening skills, and improve your overall quality of life.  The first step to treating your hearing loss is to have it evaluated by an audiologist or other hearing specialist.

Myth #4
If I already have hearing loss, I don’t need to protect my ears from noise.

Fact
You should always protect your ears from exposure to dangerous noise, even if you already have a hearing loss. Regular exposure to harmful noise may worsen your existing hearing damage.

Myth #5
Hearing instruments don’t work.

Fact
Hearing instruments won’t restore lost hearing or stop the progression of age- or noise-related hearing loss. And because hearing is as much a function of the brain as it is the inner ear, hearing aids aren’t the whole story in hearing better. But smart new technologies, including the ability to amplify sound selectively, do help most people to hear better in most situations. Even so, it needs to be said that no hearing instrument, no matter how sophisticated, will work unless you are willing to wear and adapt to it.

Before you make any big decisions about hearing loss, check out the real story of the Hearing Loss Myths and Facts!