ask: Can Hearing Loss be detected before the symptoms of it appears?

Hi Anonymous,

Great question!
Hearing loss can be detected early, when symptoms first start to appear. But due to the hearing tests performed it can only be detected once your hearing has been impaired-- whether it's minimally or not.

Decreased ability to hear any of the following:
Higher pitched sounds
Lower pitched sounds
All sounds
Speech when there is background noise
Dizziness
Ringing sounds in the ears
Problems with balance
In children, hearing loss may cause difficulty learning to speak.

Tests associated with hearing loss are:
Weber test—a tuning fork is sounded and placed on your forehead or teeth. This can help distinguish conductive from sensorineural hearing loss.
Rinne test—a tuning fork is sounded and placed in front and then behind of the ear. This can help distinguish conductive from sensorineural hearing loss.
Audiometric tests—these involve listening to tones in a soundproof room, and reporting whether or not you hear the tones.
Tympanometry—this test measures the pressure in the middle ear and examines the middle ear's response to pressure waves.
CT or MRI scan of the head —a type of imaging study that uses a computer to make pictures of the inside of the head. This may be done to check for a tumor or bone injury.
Brain stem auditory evoked responses—in this test, electrodes are attached to the scalp and used to measure the electrical response of the brain to sound.
Electrocochleography—this tests the cochlea and the auditory nerve.

For more information, please visit our hearing loss page.

Rosa