The hearing loss threshold

By Sarah Curtis, Au.D., founder of Sounds of Life Hearing

Auditory processing is how the brain interprets what the ear hears. Sarah Curtis, Au.D., founder of Sounds of Life Hearing, explains it in terms of public transportation.

“When getting from point ‘A’ to point ‘B,’ there’s a most efficient way,” says Dr. Curtis. “This plan can be disrupted by traffic, detours and other factors that delay or keep you from arriving. Similarly, auditory information sometimes can’t be sent efficiently.”

Many define hearing loss by an upper limit of threshold, or the softest sounds a person can hear across different frequencies. For an adult, the “normal” limit is 25 decibels (dB).

“If a person can’t hear a sound until 30 dB, they have hearing loss,” says Dr. Curtis. “If they’re at 25 for most frequencies, we say they are ‘normal.’ As an audiologist, I understand the brain’s impact on hearing and know that ‘normal’ is defined by your personal difficulty.”

Some people have developmental auditory processing dysfunction and have had symptoms since childhood while others have difficulties because of injury or illness.

“Combat veterans with blast injuries and people with concussions, traumatic brain injury or other closed-head injures can show processing deficits,” says Dr. Curtis. “Noise or toxin exposures can cause ‘invisible’ damage to the connections between the inner ear cells and the hearing nerve.”

Our brain also gets less efficient at transmitting auditory information as we age and it’s normal to start having trouble around age 40.

“If you’ve had a hearing test and were told everything is normal, seek a second opinion,” says Dr. Curtis. “At Sounds of Life Hearing, our staff recognizes the signs of auditory processing disorders. Call to learn more.”

Sounds of Life Hearing Center is located at 8007 Auburn Road, Suite 1, in Mentor. For more information call 440-579-4085 or check the website SoundsOfLifeHC.com.