There are different kinds of hearing loss. Only a hearing test can provide you with exact hearing loss frequencies. When a hearing test is done the professional will test hearing between 250 Hz-8000Hz. The test examines frequencies starting from a lower pitch increasing to a higher pitch. An audiogram for high-frequency hearing shows hearing within the normal range of 250 Hz to 1500 Hz with the results outside the normal range at 2000 Hz.
How is speech affected by high frequency hearing loss
Voices with a higher pitch such as; woman’s voices, children’s voices, and noisy environments are difficult to understand when suffering from high-frequency hearing loss. Talking on the phone, hearing the doorbell, or birds chirping is also more challenging with high-frequency hearing loss.
High Frequencies help with speech understanding making it difficult to hear S, H, and F since they are in high pitch. High-Frequency consonant sounds can often be missed when low-frequency hearing is normal.
Incoming sounds are processed by tiny hair cells inside the cochlea. High-Frequency sounds are processed at the base of the cochlea, while low-frequency sounds are processed near the top. Hair cells at the bottom of the cochlea are more likely to get damaged than hair at the top which explains why hearing loss often effects high frequency before low frequency.
There are many factors which cause damage to the hair cells in the cochlea such as; noise, age, and disease. Hearing loss caused by age or noise effect the high frequencies first.
Can hearing aids help people with high-frequency hearing loss?
Hearing aids are a great treatment for high-frequency hearing loss. Hearing aids with vents leave the ear “opened” to allow normal and low range hearing through, while only amplifying high frequencies. The hearing aids on the market today have the technology to process speech and noise differently to reduce strain on the ear that is associated with high-frequency hearing loss. People with high-frequency hearing loss have many options. Don’t let your hearing fall on the sidelines, take control and get your hearing aids today.