Who Needs Regular Hearing Tests?

You might think that a hearing test is a one-off scenario, after all, how often do you really need to officially know the condition of your hearing – it's fairly obvious to you. In fact, a regular hearing test can be very beneficial both to you and your audiologist who can use the data to measure your hearing ability over time. 

People Over 50 

When you're young you probably don't think about your hearing very often, you're too busy enjoying your life and possibly attending loud events like concerts and sports matches. You might still have perfect t hearing by the time your reach fifty, but that's the age to start taking regular hearing tests. 

Over the age of fifty, a person's hearing starts to deteriorate, this is due to a loss of tiny hairs called stereocilia in the cochlea – a snail-shaped part of the ear responsible for hearing. It might also be down to a medical condition. At this age regular hearing test can be very useful for baseline measures.

People Working in Loud Places 

Even if you aren't over fifty you might still want to have a regular hearing test carried out – especially if you work with loud noises. Loud noises might include working with a sound system, working on a construction site, the armed forces or in agriculture. Machines that generate more than 80 decibels can be a potential hazard to hearing. 

If you are working in one of these industries or you suspect that your job might cause damage to your hearing, you should have a regular hearing test carried out by your audiologist. Regardless of your age your hearing can be harmed by this noise and should be protected if possible. 

People with Medical Conditions 

Certain medical conditions such as otosclerosis, Meniere’s disease and acoustic neuroma, increase the likelihood that you will lose your ability to hear well at some point. Other factors such as aging, genetics and occupational noise also play a role and should be considered as part of your hearing test routine. 

If you have an underlying medical condition like this, you need to have your hearing tested more regularly. If your audiologist can determine the base level of your hearing ability, they can catch any changes early and prolong the natural life of your hearing. 

People with Trouble Hearing 

There are many reasons why people have trouble hearing and not all of them mean you need a hearing device. You might have poor hearing anyways or a short attention span that makes you drift when people are talking. Still, it can be beneficial to have your hearing tested more regularly if you miss parts of conversations or struggle to hear people over background noise. 

If you have trouble hearing it could be a sign of hearing loss but you won't know until you contact your audiologist. Since you have trouble hearing anyway it can be difficult to know when your hearing is deteriorating, for that reason you should have regular tests carried out.