One of the indicators of high-frequency hearing loss is the inability to hear women’s and children’s voice clearly. The voices of most women and children fall into a higher frequency range – generally 165 to 255 Hertz – while male voices are typically lower frequency at 85 to 180 Hertz. In addition, women’s and children’s voices generally have a lower amplitude (meaning, they are softer or less loud), so you might hear them at a different volume than men’s voices. Although you may suspect that you have suffered a high-frequency hearing loss because you are having trouble hearing these voices, the only way to know for certain is to make an appointment for an exam.
If it turns out to be high-frequency hearing loss, you’re not alone; this is the most common form of hearing loss. There are many possible causes; among the possibilities are aging, exposure to loud noises, certain diseases and certain drugs. The good news is that high-frequency hearing loss can generally be counteracted with technology.
One effective option involves the fitting of digital hearing aids, whose sophisticated electronics can be programmed to respond differently to sounds at different frequencies. For people with high-frequency hearing loss, the digital hearing aid raises the volume of high-frequency (high-pitched) sounds more than it raises the volume of the lower-frequency (low-pitched) sounds. Another treatment option is the use of open-fit hearing aids, which leave your ear canal open or partially open, so that low-frequency and mid-frequency sounds enter the ear normally, and only the high-frequency sounds are amplified. Cochlear implants provide a third option for treating high-frequency hearing loss. This is a more expensive solution because the implantation procedure requires minor surgery, but it can be effective in the treatment of conditions such as nerve deafness and industrial deafness.
But the first step to finding a solution to your hearing problem is to have an examination, and allow our specialists to determine what the nature of it actually is. Your hearing exam could reveal that your high-frequency hearing loss is caused by a treatable blockage such as a build up of ear wax and can be easily corrected.If you are currently having trouble hearing women’s and children’s voices, stop worrying about what might be causing it and make an appointment to get the true answer.
