Hearing loss is more than just a sound barrier - it can negatively impact the quality of life and cause a sense of complete isolation for those who suffer from it. There are approximately 24 million people in the United States who have a significant loss of hearing. Fortunately, there are mechanisms that can improve hearing - people with hearing loss do not have to feel alone.

There can be many causes of hearing loss. Among the most common are:

• Ear infections
• Certain medications can cause hearing loss - some are reversible and some are irreversible. For instance, high doses of aspirin can cause hearing loss but the effect is reversed when the dose is reduced or discontinued. Certain chemotherapy agents, for instance, Cis-platinum, can cause irreversible hearing loss.
• Excessive noise exposure
• Heredity
• Birth defects
• Traumatic injury (such as a head injury)
• Tumors
• The natural aging process. About 30 percent of people over the age of 60 have hearing loss. It is the third most common chronic problem affecting the aging population.

Hearing loss is often difficult to recognize. It is usually easiest to tell if you have a hearing loss if you are doing one or more of the following:

• Continually turning up the volume on your TV
• Having difficulty hearing conversational speech
• Having difficulty hearing in group situations and when there is background noise (i.e. in a restaurant)
• Asking people to repeat themselves often
• Speech might not sound clear. You might think that other people are mumbling