Hearing loss affects only old people and is a sign of aging. Hearing loss affects all age groups. There are close to 6 million people in the US between the ages of 18 and 44 with hearing loss, and only 35% of people with hearing loss are older than age 64.

My hearing loss cannot be helped.
Many years ago, people with high frequency hearing loss, hearing loss in one ear, or with nerve damage were told they could not be helped. But with modern advances in digital technology, nearly 95% of people with sensorineural hearing loss can benefit from hearing instruments. Only about 5 to 10% of adults can be helped by medical or surgical treatment. If I had a hearing loss, my family doctor would have told me. Unfortunately, only 13% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss during a physical. Since many heard of hearing people hear well in a quiet environment like your doctor’s office, it can be impossible for your physician to recognize the extent of your problem. Hearing aids will make everything sound too loud.

Hearing aids are amplifiers, and at one time the way hearing aids were designed it was necessary to turn them up in order to hearing soft speech (or other soft sounds). Today’s digital hearing aids work automatically to provide the ampl fication needed based on the input level. In fact, many don’t even have a volume control!