Unlike mammograms or colonoscopies, which are recommended at routine intervals based on evidence-based guidelines, there are no universally accepted guidelines for hearing testing. Here are some of the reasons why Associated Audiologists recommends a diagnostic hearing evaluation beginning at age 50, then every three years thereafter.
As you get older, you’re likely aware that there are tests recommended to detect disease early when treatment is most likely to be effective. Unfortunately, there are no universally accepted guidelines for the age at which you should have your first diagnostic hearing evaluation. Some professional organizations advocate an initial evaluation by age 50, while others say by 65.
That “gray” area means many people who likely need their hearing evaluated simply don’t take the time to do it. In a Consumer Reports survey of more than 120,000 members on hearing and hearing loss, almost 30 percent said they’ve gone for more than a decade without getting their hearing tested or have never had it tested at all.
A study published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, which included 2,613 people aged 60 or older, analyzed the way participants rated their own hearing and compared that to the results from hearing tests.
The results were surprising. Researchers found that 42 percent of people who reported no hearing problems actually turned out to have mild hearing loss when tested. The study also found that in people ages 60 to 69, 35 percent of those who thought they had hearing loss actually did not.
This study highlights the importance of a diagnostic hearing evaluation. Clearly, it’s hard for most people to figure out if their hearing is normal or not. This means people who could benefit from wearing prescription hearing aids or over-the-counter devices may not even consider them because they don’t think they have a problem.
Likewise, now that over-the-counter hearing aids are available to consumers without a hearing evaluation, someone could think they have a problem who doesn’t, buy over-the-counter devices, and run the risk of being over-amplified, or at the very least, spending money on something they don’t need.
But even more important, especially for the individuals who have a hearing loss, is the fact that there is now evidence that hearing loss has an impact on everything from memory to relationships. Consider these facts:
- Eleven percent of people with hearing loss struggle with depression—more than two times the rate in the general population.
- Studies show that adults with untreated hearing loss have a shorter lifespan than adults who have hearing loss but who wear hearing aids.
- Hearing aids have been shown to reverse negative psychological and emotional changes and may offset cognitive decline associated with hearing loss.
- People with even mild hearing loss are twice as likely to develop dementia. For people with severe hearing loss, the risk of dementia may be five times greater!
- People with mild hearing loss (25 dB) are three times more likely to have a history of falling.
- Every additional 10 dB of hearing loss increases the chances of falling by 1.4 times.
Because the impact of undiagnosed hearing loss can be so significant, yet many people don’t even realize they have age-related hearing loss, Associated Audiologists recommends an initial diagnostic hearing evaluation beginning at age 50, and then every three years thereafter.
Even if the individual has normal hearing, an evaluation at age 50 establishes a baseline against which subsequent testing can be measured. This makes it possible to detect hearing loss when it can be treated most effectively, and when related issues, such as dementia or depression, can also be addressed early on.
You also may want to have your hearing evaluated, no matter what your age, if you notice any of these hearing loss signs:
- Everyone seems to mumble or conversations sound muffled.
- Ringing, chirping, humming or other constant sounds only you can hear.
- You turn the TV or radio up so loud others in the room complain.
- You have problems hearing in busy restaurants or other places with background noise.
- You often ask people to repeat themselves.
- You have problems hearing phone conversations.
- Friends or family tell you you’re having trouble hearing.
And even if you’re not having problems hearing but you’re age 50 or older and have never had your hearing evaluated, now is a good time to establish that baseline.
