According to national statistics, hearing loss is the third most common physical condition behind arthritis and heart disease, affecting people of all ages.  Of the twenty-nine million people that could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than 20 percent have ever used them.

Dr. Beverly Fulcher, an ENT physician at MENTSA shares how common hearing loss is and factors that help determine a diagnosis.

“Everybody loses their hearing eventually.  Some people lose it earlier than others depending on their family history and the amount of noise exposure they’ve had.  It’s also important to factor if they were born with normal hearing.  We can look at someone’s pattern of hearing and determine if it’s age appropriate or whether they had something else impact their hearing that may have caused more hearing loss that we would expect.”

MENTSA’s physicians and board-certified audiologist incorporate tremendous testing procedures to diagnose and treat types of hearing loss.

Dr. Fulcher describes how some patients might not realize the level of hearing loss they have.

“The pattern of hearing loss gives us an idea of what type of hearing loss it is. You can be born hard of hearing and still be able to hear, but not as well as other people.  Sometimes we see patients that were born with hearing loss, but never really knew it because they were never tested. “

More hearing loss in one ear is sometimes diagnosed.  A popular Mississippi activity is sometimes a leading cause.

Dr. Fulcher describes what can cause more hearing loss in one ear compared to the other.

“If somebody has hearing that’s worse on one side than the other, there can be lots of reasons for that.  One of them is hunting. If you are a hunter and shoot from the right side then the sound comes around and hits you in the left ear. “

MENTSA offers hearing solutions with tremendous technology that best fits an individual’s hearing loss and lifestyle.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call us at 601-709-7700 or request an appointment time online at https://www.mentsa.com/patient-information/request-an-appointment/