Understanding mild, severe, and profound hearing loss

Levels of hearing loss

There are two levels of hearing loss: mild-to-moderate and severe-to-profound.

We hear sounds with tiny nerves called hair cells located in our inner ears. Our outer hair cells help us hear soft sounds, and our inner hair cells help us hear high and low-pitched sounds.

People with mild-to-moderate hearing loss have lost some outer hair cells and have trouble understanding softer sounds, such as the voices of women and children. People with severe hearing loss have lost both inner and outer hair cells, making it harder to hear soft sounds as well as distinguish between high and low-pitched sounds. 

Signs of hearing loss

If you’re experiencing any of the below signs of hearing loss, it’s important to find out why.

It’s hard to hear, understand, or follow the words of others when they speak.

People seem to speak softly, mumble, slur or drop words, or talk too quickly.

You often ask people to repeat themselves.

Telephone and video chats are hard to hear clearly.

On the telephone, you find yourself straining to distinguish words, “plugging” your non-phone ear, or using earbuds at a medium to high volume with your phone?

You sometimes miss text message dings, the doorbell, a ringing phone, or your name being called.

You struggle to understand speech in noisy places, such as restaurants.

You prefer the television volume louder than friends and family members.

You hear a ringing sound in one or both ears.

Only a comprehensive hearing screening conducted by a licensed hearing care professional can tell you all the facts. Let our hearing care professionals give your ears the respect they deserve.

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