It always amazes me that our primary care doctors send us for all sorts of tests as we hit another milestone in our lives, yet rarely refer us for a hearing test. I think because hearing loss is not “life and death”, it gets put on the back burner until something happens.
But it is important to get a complete hearing evaluation at some point—maybe at 40 or 50. Certainly by age 60 we should have a record of what our hearing is. This test is not to sell a product, but to determine where your hearing acuity and ability to understand words is at.
I tested someone last month whose hearing had decreased suddenly, then came back up a little after treatment. She is 57 years old. I could let her know where her hearing is at this point, but I could not tell her if her hearing came all the way back up or not because I didn’t have anything to compare it to.
My advice to all people, whether you have good hearing or not, is to get a complete audiological evaluation at some point so you can always use it as a reference. And if there is a family history of hearing loss, it is good to document as soon as possible.
~Ellen