Aging and Hearing
Overview
About 30 percent of adults over age 65 have some age-related hearing loss, commonly caused by either a change in the nerves or structure of the ear, or an outside factor like long-term exposure to loud noises, medical conditions or drug side effects.
Hearing loss usually progresses gradually, and might not be noticeable at first. Common signs are difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds or understanding conversations over background noise, finding some sounds to be too loud, or hearing ringing in one get one or both ears (tinnitus).
For a timely diagnosis and treatment, report any hearing loss symptoms as soon as possible. If needed, hearing aids can be life-changing, and there are also technologies available to help people with hearing impairments translate speech to text on televisions, computers, phones and smart devices.
