Millions of years ago, the world was quite a bit different. This steamy, volcano-laden landscape is where the long-necked Diplacusis wandered. Diplacusis was so large, thanks to its long tail and neck, that no other predators were a threat.
Actually, Diplodocus is the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period. When you’re hearing two sounds at the same time, that’s a hearing condition known as diplacusis.
Diplacusis is a condition which can be frustrating and confusing resulting in difficulty with communication.
Perhaps your hearing has been a bit weird lately
We’re accustomed to thinking of hearing loss as a sort of gradual lowering of the volume knob. Over time, the idea is, we simply hear less and less. But sometimes, hearing loss can manifest in some unusual ways. Diplacusis is one of the weirder, and also more frustrating, of these hearing conditions.
What is diplacusis?
So, what’s diplacusis? Diplacusis is a medical term that means, basically, “double hearing”. Typically, your brain will mix the sound from your right and left ear into a single sound. That’s what you hear. The same thing occurs with your eyes. If you put a hand on your right eye and then a hand over your left eye, you see slightly different images, right? Usually, with your ears, you won’t even notice it.
When your brain can’t effectively merge the two sounds from your ears because they are too different, you have this condition of diplacusis. Monaural diplacusis is a result of hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is due to hearing loss in both.
Diplacusis comes in two forms
Different individuals are impacted differently by diplacuses. However, there are usually two basic forms of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: This kind of diplacusis occurs when the pitch of the right ear and the pitch of the left ear seem off. So the sound will be distorted when somebody speaks with you. Maybe your right ear thinks the sound is low-pitched and your left ear thinks the sound is high-pitched. Those sounds can be hard to understand consequently.
- Diplacusis echoica: This occurs when the pitch is nearly the same from ear to ear, but because of your hearing loss, the timing is out of whack. Artifacts like echoes can be the outcome. This can also cause challenges with regard to understanding speech.
Symptoms of diplacusis
Here are a few symptoms of diplacusis:
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
- Off timing hearing
- Off pitch hearing
The condition of double vision may be a useful comparison: Yes, it can develop some symptoms on its own, but it’s usually itself a symptom of something else. (It’s the effect, essentially, not the cause.) In these circumstances, diplacusis is almost always a symptom of hearing loss (either in one ear or in both ears). So your best strategy would be to make an appointment with us for a hearing exam.
What causes diplacusis?
In a very basic sense (and maybe not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis align quite well with the causes of hearing loss. But you may develop diplacusis for a number of particular reasons:
- Earwax: In some circumstances, an earwax blockage can hinder your hearing. That earwax blockage can lead to diplacusis.
- Noise-induced damage to your ears: If you’ve experienced hearing loss caused by noise damage, it’s possible that it could trigger diplacusis.
- An infection: Ear infections, sinus infections, or even just plain old allergies can cause your ear canal to swell. This inflammation, while a normal response, can effect the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- A tumor: In some very rare circumstances, tumors in your ear canal can result in diplacusis. Don’t panic! They’re normally benign. Still, it’s something you should talk to your hearing specialist about!
It’s clear that there are many of the same causes of hearing loss and diplacusis. Meaning that you most likely have some degree of hearing loss if you’re experiencing diplacusis. Which means it’s a good idea to see a hearing specialist.
How is diplacusis treated?
The treatments for diplacusis vary based on the root cause. If your condition is caused by a blockage, such as earwax, then treatment will concentrate on the removal of that blockage. But irreversible sensorineural hearing loss is more frequently the cause. Here are a few treatment options if that’s the situation:
- Hearing aids: The right pair of hearing aids can equalize how your ears hear again. This means that the symptoms of diplacusis will likely disappear. It’s important to get the proper settings on your hearing aids and you’ll want to have us assist you with that.
- Cochlear implant: In circumstances where the hearing loss at the root of diplacusis is profound, a cochlear implant may be the only way to provide relief from the symptoms.
All of this begins with a hearing assessment. Here’s how you can think about it: whatever type of hearing loss is the cause of your diplacusis, a hearing exam will be able to determine that (maybe you simply think things sound strange at this point and you don’t even identify it as diplacusis). Modern hearing tests are very sensitive, and good at detecting discrepancies between how your ears hear the world.
Hearing clearly is more fun than not
Getting the proper treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s a hearing aid or some other treatment option, means you’ll be more capable of participating in your daily life. It will be easier to talk to people. It will be easier to stay in tune with your family.
Which means, you’ll be able to hear your grandkids tell you all about what a Diplodocus is, and you (hopefully) won’t have any diplacusis to impede you.
Call today for an appointment to have your diplacusis symptoms checked.
