Should You Diagnose and Treat Hearing Loss Yourself?

You know you’re having trouble hearing. It’s evident to you and everyone you know you are having trouble hearing. But you aren’t sure why you’re having a problem. You aren’t even sure when it started, and you don’t know what step to take next. If you’re like most people these days, you turn to the Internet for advice. You will find websites devoted to diagnosing the problem, treating the problem, and page after page of websites ready to sell you a solution. One quick Google search will give you page after page of suggestions.

Many things can cause hearing loss. We would suggest you start by contacting a local hearing healthcare professional. Our training and years of experience have put us in the position to be uniquely qualified to help you to identify the problem and to provide solutions. Knowing you have a problem is one thing. Knowing what caused the problem and how to solve the problem is not always so easy. By not accurately determining the cause and providing the proper solution, you could unwittingly create a bigger problem.

Conditions That Can Cause Hearing Loss

The effects of aging most often cause adult-onset hearing loss, subsequently treated with hearing aids. However, many conditions can cause hearing loss where a hearing aid or hearing aids may not be recommended. These include:

  • Perforated eardrum
  • Allergies
  • Foreign body in the ear canal
  • Ear infection
  • Cholesteatoma
  • Fluid buildup in the middle ear space
  • Impacted wax
  • Acoustic neuroma
  • Glomus tumor

Without an accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan, the condition or conditions causing hearing loss could worsen. Give yourself the best shot at a positive outcome. Don’t waste precious time and resources on an inaccurate course of treatment. If you are having trouble hearing, start by contacting us today.