Degree of Hearing Loss
Degrees of Hearing Loss:
Mild Hearing Loss (26-40 dB)
Moderate Hearing Loss (41-55 dB)
Moderately Severe Hearing Loss (56-70 dB)
Severe Hearing Loss (71-90 dB)
Profound hearing loss (above 91 dB)
Mild Hearing Loss (26-40 dB)
People with a mild hearing loss may have difficulty detecting soft sounds and hearing soft spoken people. They are often able to hear the loud vowel sounds (e.g., A, E, I, O, U), but may miss some of the softer consonant sounds (e.g., s, th, f). They may have to ask people to speak up or repeat themselves, and have difficulties listening to conversation especially in noisy environments.
Moderate Hearing Loss (41-55 dB)
People with a moderate hearing loss may have difficulty with some consonant sounds as well as vowel sounds. They often comment that they can hear, but can’t always understand.
Moderately Severe Hearing Loss (56-70 dB)
People with a moderately severe hearing loss may have major difficulty detecting speech sounds without hearing aids. Listening and communication start to become very challenging. They may have to ask people to speak up and repeat themselves loudly.
Severe Hearing Loss (71-90 dB)
People with a severe hearing loss may have major difficulty detecting any speech sounds. They may only react to very loud sounds. Without hearing aids or cochlear implants, speech is basically inaudible.
Profound hearing loss (above 91 dB)
People with a profound hearing loss can only hear extremely loud sounds like airplane engines or fire alarms. Without hearing aids or cochlear implants, speech is inaudible. They can hardly detect sounds in the environment and that could be dangerous.
If you are concerned about your hearing and may be experiencing any signs of hearing loss, see an Ear-Nose-Throat Doctor or an audiologist for consultation. Timely and appropriate intervention is very important.