Effects of hearing loss

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In speech and in our environment there are many different sounds that vary in pitch and loudness. Our ability to hear certain sounds will depend on the degree of hearing loss present. In general, these are classified into five categories.

Mild hearing loss

  • Can hear conversations well in a quiet room with one or two people
  • May have difficulty understanding speech
  • May have difficulty hearing speech that is quiet or distant (e.g. from another room)
  • May have difficulty hearing and understanding softly-spoken individuals (e.g. women and children)
  • May have difficulty understanding speech when there is background noise (e.g. TV, jug boiling, other people talking)

Moderate hearing loss

  • Have significant difficulty hearing and understanding speech in noisy environments
  • May have difficulty hearing and understanding speech even in quiet situations
  • May need people to repeat themselves often
  • May find they have to concentrate on what is being said. This can often be very tiring.
  • Can hear speech when the speaker is relatively close and is facing the listener

Moderately-severe hearing loss

  • May hear only when the speaker is close (1– 2 metres), directly facing them or talking loudly.
  • May have great difficulty communicating under all conditions
  • May appear to be not paying attention
  • May rely heavily on lip-reading

Severe hearing loss

  • May hear only when the speaker is very close (1/2 metre) and talking loudly
  • May be able to distinguish vowels but not consonants
  • May hear some environmental noises (e.g. trucks, planes)
  • May appear to be ignoring conversations
  • May rely on other forms of communication (e.g. sign language)

Profound hearing loss

  • May hear some very loud sounds
  • Are unlikely to hear any speech sounds
  • May rely on other forms of communication (e.g. sign language)