Can hearing aids be detrimental to my hearing?
I have had a hearing test recently at my local Hospital Audiology Department and been told I am 'borderline' and I have been for about 5 years. I am 47 years old and I suffer from Multiple Sclerosis which originated in my right eye. The Audiologist is happy for me to carry on as I am, but I am struggling to hear quiet conversations and conversations where there is other noises going on. I also completely mis-hear words from only a few feet away like for example statement, I hear pavement? My Wife looks at me blankly most times as I have heard something completely different to what she has said. I play in a Brass Band (35+ years) and I cannot hear the Conductor some 10/12 feet away when he talks in his usual voice. Would it be detrimental to my hearing to have a hearing aid now to amplify peoples voices?
Perhaps the greatest challenge to any audiologist is the very subjective nature of hearing loss. Whilst there are many scientific aspects to our work, each individual's perception of their hearing difficulties can vary hugely from one person to the next. We often find that two people with very similar degrees of hearing loss can report very different levels of difficulty.That said, we do know that there is currently no evidence to support the notion of hearing aids being detrimental to hearing levels. Because hearing aids are programmed specifically to the wearer's hearing loss, there is no risk of over exposure to loud noises. With the difficulties you describe, my advice would be to return to the audiologist, explain the difficulties you are having, and ask to try the hearing aids most appropriate to your needs.
