Presbycusis is a common condition that can cause hearing difficulties. What exactly is it and what treatment and prevention methods are available? In this article, let’s see what presbycusis is, its causes and symptoms, and the treatments and interventions that can help improve or maintain good hearing quality.
Definition of presbycusis
Presbycusis is an age-related hearing loss that affects most older people. It is caused by changes in the structures of the inner ear and auditory nerves (the result of a relaxation of the internal structures of the ear), as well as by the presence of earwax and fluids in the ear. These changes slow down the ear’s ability to perceive sounds, which can lead to partial or complete hearing loss. Symptoms may include a reduced hearing acuity, difficulty understanding conversations in noisy environments and an inability to distinguish certain consonants or sounds. Older people may also have difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds.
What are the signs ?
In general, presbycusis begins with mild hearing loss and difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds, such as children’s voices and high-pitched animal sounds. People with presbycusis may also have trouble hearing conversations in noisy places or distinguishing words spoken quickly.
The more the presbycusis worsens, the greater the loss of hearing: people may then have trouble hearing even loud soundsand these may sound muffled or distorted. In the most severe cases, people with presbycusis can become completely deaf if they are not monitored or assisted by hearing aids suitable for their condition.
First of all, do not hesitate to consult a doctor for a diagnosis and a professional opinion. Doctors can advise the best way to treat presbycusis and refer you to hearing health professionals such as hearing aid professionals, speech pathologists, or hearing specialists.
Which hearing aids to treat presbycusis?
The most frequently used hearing aids for the treatment of presbycusis are those with digital correction. How do they work? They convert sounds into digital signals so that the brain can better interpret them. They also include advanced features that help reduce background noise and adjust volume levels to provide better clarity and dissociation of sounds.
Digitally-amplified hearing aids are also commonly used to treat presbycusis. Connected directly to the ear with a microphone, they amplify sounds so that the brain can better interpret them while reducing background noise and unwanted noise.
Today, many hearing aids use technology Bluetooth, a major innovation in the sector. It allows users, via their hearing aids, to connect to devices such as phonesTVs and computers to hear sounds clearly directly in the ear, even in a noisy environment.
Cochlear implants as for them, are implanted directly in the ear to help treat presbycusis by converting sounds into digital signals and sending them directly to the brain. Although very effective, they are expensive and require surgery.
So whichever hearing aid you choose, it can help improve the quality of life of people with presbycusis allowing them to hear sounds clearly and easily.
Other solutions to improve living comfort and preventive methods
Along with this, there are also non-drug techniques that can help treat presbycusis like hearing exercises to strengthen hearing ability and improve understanding of speech and music. Likewise, activities such as reading or singing can help maintain hearing health.
As a preventive measure, it is absolutely necessary to adopt measures to protect hearing: avoid extremely noisy environments and wear earplugs such as wax balls or foam, when you are exposed to loud and prolonged sounds. These simple precautions can help reduce the risk of developing presbycusis and maintain good hearing health.
