There are four clinically labeled degrees of hearing loss:
1. Mild Hearing Loss
What it feels like:
You can hear most normal sounds, but soft sounds are harder to catch.
Examples:
- You may miss quiet speech, like a child speaking softly.
- You may say “What?” more often, especially in noisy places (restaurants, crowds).
- Whispering is hard to hear.
Typical volume level affected: 20–40 dB (soft sounds).
2. Moderate Hearing Loss
What it feels like:
Regular conversation becomes difficult without asking people to repeat themselves.
Examples:
- You hear speech, but it sounds muffled or unclear.
- You may rely on lip-reading or watching facial expressions.
- Background noise makes conversations much harder.
- Between typically 56-70 dB: Conversations are hard to follow without hearing aids.
- Group conversations are very challenging.
- You may only catch parts of words or sentences.
Typical volume affected: 41–70 dB (normal speech).
3. Severe Hearing Loss
What it feels like:
You cannot hear speech unless someone is speaking very loudly, and even then it may not be clear.
Examples:
- You mainly rely on lip-reading, gestures, or hearing aids.
- Loud noises like a vacuum cleaner or dog bark may be faint.
Typical volume affected: 71–90 dB.
4. Profound Hearing Loss
What it feels like:
Most sounds are either extremely faint or completely unheard.
Examples:
- You might only hear very loud noises, like a fire truck siren or thunder, if you hear anything at all.
- Speech cannot be understood through hearing alone.
Typical volume affected: 91 dB and above.
Quick Summary:
- Mild: “I miss soft sounds.”
- Moderate: “I miss parts of normal conversation.”
- Moderately severe: “I struggle without hearing aids.”
- Severe: “I can’t hear most speech.”
- Profound: “I mainly rely on other ways to communicate.”
Look out for future Blogs:
- Causes of each level
- Symptoms to watch for
- How hearing tests measure this
- Treatment options (hearing aids, implants, etc.)