The degree of hearing loss refers to the severity of a person’s hearing impairment. It is measured in decibels (dB) and is based on how well a person can hear pure tones at different frequencies.
What are the 5 severity levels of hearing loss?
There are five main levels of hearing loss:
- Mild (25-40 dB HL): People with mild hearing loss may have difficulty hearing soft sounds or sounds in noisy environments.
- Moderate (41-55 dB HL): People with moderate hearing loss may have difficulty understanding speech, even in quiet environments.
- Moderately severe (56-70 dB HL): People with moderately severe hearing loss may need to read lips or use a hearing aid to understand speech.
- Severe (71-90 dB HL): People with severe hearing loss may only be able to hear very loud sounds.
- Profound (>90 dB HL): People with profound hearing loss may not be able to hear any sounds at all.
What does 70% hearing loss mean?
The term “70% hearing loss” is not a standard medical term. It is often used to describe a person’s hearing loss in a general sense, but it does not provide any specific information about the severity of the hearing loss.
A more accurate way to describe a person’s hearing loss is to use the decibel scale. For example, a person with a 70 dB hearing loss would have difficulty hearing sounds that are 70 dB or lower.
How do you calculate hearing loss degree?
Hearing loss is calculated by comparing a person’s hearing thresholds to the normal hearing thresholds for their age and gender. The normal hearing thresholds are established by audiologists through a series of standardized hearing tests.
The degree of hearing loss is then determined by the amount of difference between a person’s hearing thresholds and the normal hearing thresholds. For example, a person with a 20 dB hearing loss would have hearing thresholds that are 20 dB lower than the normal hearing thresholds for their age and gender.
What are the 3 ways to describe hearing loss?
In addition to the decibel scale, there are three other ways to describe hearing loss:
- Speech reception threshold (SRT): The SRT is the lowest sound level at which a person can understand 50% of the words spoken in a quiet environment.
- Hearing in noise (HINT): The HINT is a test that measures how well a person can understand speech in a noisy environment.
- Speech discrimination (SD): The SD is the percentage of words that a person can correctly repeat after hearing them.
Conclusion
The degree of hearing loss is an important factor in determining the best treatment options for people with hearing impairment. By understanding the different levels of hearing loss, people can get the help they need to improve their hearing and communication skills.