The silent world under the sea is the closest thing to understanding the world to a person with a hearing loss to those who can hear. At first it is delightful to be in such silence with only faint muffled sounds from above.  However, if that is everyday life it becomes very isolating.

For most people, hearing loss doesn’t just happen suddenly it deteriorates slowly over many years.  Unlike eye sight when you can tell things are getting blurry, with hearing loss you have no idea what you’re missing.  That’s why it is hard to recognize and admit when hearing is reduced. Here are some common clues that hearing may be impaired:

• When you answer a question and get really strange looks from the people you’re talking to.
• People sound like they are mumbling.
• You can hear people talking but you can’t understand the words.
• Loud settings like restaurants or driving in a car, make it hard to carry on a conversation.
• Your friends and family get frustrated having to repeat everything.
• You have to turn the TV volume up much louder than you used to and much louder than is comfortable for others.

Hearing loss affects our relationships with friends, family and loved ones and can be very isolating making it exhausting trying to listen and understand what is being said.  For those in the workplace, hearing loss can negatively affect job performance.  Unfortunately, once you’ve lost your hearing there is no getting it back!  However, with the latest in hearing aid technology there are many options that can improve your hearing and quality of life.