Hearing loss can be manifested at birth (congenital deafness) or experienced later in life (acquired deafness). The difference between the two is the onset when actual hearing becomes impaired. It's not specified whether acquired deafness can be manifested later on due to inheritance from parents. But what is apparent is that acquired deafness is largely related to ear damaged caused by excessive volume and noise.

On the other hand, congenital deafness is more likely caused by genetic inheritance or birth defects. An example of this is a child diagnosed with Waardenburg syndrome. This disorder is characterized by different eye colors (one brown and the other blue) and associated with various degrees of hearing impairment.

Furthermore, with numerous developments in technology, it's much easier to plug an earphone and listen to music all day or be exposed to noise. Being unaware on how these noises affect people will eventually lead them to overexposure and desensitization. It is said that being exposed to sound or noise higher than 85 or 90 decibels can induce permanent hearing damage. Hence, being aware of the signs of hearing loss is crucial.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

First sign of hearing loss which hearing aid providers diagnose is the person's gradual inability to understand what other people are saying. This is true especially when there are other competing sounds around. It might be possible that a deaf person can hear the sound but cannot make out the words that other people are uttering. Action-wise, people who have hearing problems need to increase the radio or television beyond normal levels just to hear it.

Another is the ringing or buzzing sound that people hear even when there is no apparent sound disruption. There might also be instances where people's ears are painful or itchy for no reason and pus or liquid are leaking out from it which can lead to ear infection. Also, sports injury can bring physical damage to the ears and subsequently impair hearing. Injury related to the ears can be checked by doctors and hearing aid providers can install a hearing device if necessary.

Hearing loss can also induce certain emotional distress. People feel frustrated when they're not able to hear conversations of other people and feel annoyed when they cannot comprehend. Moreover, people feel more embarrassed in social interactions because of their inability to relate properly or misunderstanding certain discussions. The most prominent emotional distress for hearing loss is withdrawal wherein people feel incompetent in social interactions thus avoid interaction as much as possible. Fortunately, hearing aids given by hearing aid providers are available to counteract this problem.