Stitchnripper

I sometimes wear hearing aids and it was explained to me that with aging there is a part of the brain (not ears) that deteriorates. I think that's what she said. I got my hearing aids at a nonprofit hospital with an audiology department so while expensive, not as much as a free standing sales place. The problem I have is with certain tones, so TV is hard and conversation is hard if I am not wearing the hearing aids - I have to look at the person speaking. So younger folks may have something different. Good luck with it.

alwayslearning

It is because the commercials are so much louder than the programs and these vary from station to station. The broadcasters are not supposed to be doing this, but rules got relaxed. They are supposed to be following them again, but it is "taking time" to make the adjustments. Or in other words, if I pretend I can't turn the sound down, they will let me get away with it. Don't they realize that the viewing audience that is supposed to be enticed to buy their product is who is getting harrassed?

Lori S

I would have it checked. My Mom is now completely deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other. Unfortunatley she could have potentially avoided the complete deafness that she has in one ear if she had gotten it checked out sooner. I was very concerned .. and told her I was not sure if she was not hearing me .. or there was another issue .. as she would give answers or comments that did not match the question. For two years she said "it bothers you more than me" and did nothing... Finally got it checked and the cause did so much damage it can not be reversed. Its frustrating for her ... she thinks she answered the questions... its frustrating for me ... as that's not the question I asked... Sometimes after the third try of repeating ... I can see she is frustrated , and my patience is thinning.
My point is go get it checked ... as more harm can come from not checking. Find an independent , one that is not trying to sell you a hearing aid. At least get a record of what your hearing is today , so any future checks can monitor changes and the pace of those changes.

mighty

There could be problems with your hearing but the commericals often are very loud compared to the program that is on!!!!!!!

DOTTYMO

My mother was deaf in one ear and limited hearing and a hearing aid in the other. Before the hearing aid she joined in conversations because she was lip reading. After the hearing aid she relied on that and never looked in our faces and turned her back and couldn't hear. When she had a cold then she was totally deaf. She watched tv with sound at maximum to hear because of the hearing aid. She went into a world of her own just because she was deaf. Dad was going blind but still stayed with use.

quilttiger

I have to reply to this since I have been hard of hearing since birth. When you think there could be a problem, do have yourself and/or loved ones checked. There are a lot of great options such as hearing aids, cochlear implants and so on. The important thing is to find the right solution...each person is different. Cochlear implants are usually covered by insurance but hearing aids are covered by very few insurance plans. Let's hope this changes soon. We have a lot of noise pollution nowadays. I find my longarm quilting set up can be loud, so I actually turn off my hearing aids to protect what I have. If I don't, I actually feel dazed once I stop quilting. And the commercials DO get louder which is very annoying...we mute them. One of the best things we have now is closed captioning....it is great for the most part. Those tutorial videos are mostly awful because they are "automatically" closed captioned, and the words do not match what is being said, maybe due to poor diction? One tutorial I was watching actually used the word, "testicles!" I don't think it was related to quilting . Don't let vanity get in the way....it is very isolating not to be part of conversations with your friends and family.

jitkaau

Commercials occupy a more narrow bandwidth which make them appear to be louder. Hearing aids only amplify the sounds that you can detect and they do not supply or correct the sounds that you have lost the ability to hear. Therefore, the only way to preserve your hearing is to not expose it to loud noises over time. People are becoming deafened at increasingly younger ages because of the amount of noise to which we subject ourselves . Ear plugs etc should be worn when using loud machinery. Even the ear microphones from phones and music players contribute to hearing loss. If you go to a rock concert, hearing loss can result - some recovery happens, but generally not fully. One needs to make choices to keep ears at optimum health - and whilst I am on this little soap - box : Never put anything smaller than you elbow into your ear...

peabee

i agree quilttiger, we do have a lot of noise pollution now. please get your hearing checked both for a baseline and for other problems that can cause hearing loss. i am deaf in one ear. in my case, i had a tumor growing on the hearing nerve that became large and was removed surgically. preventative care is important

onemoe

I think every actor should be on the stage first so they know how to speak. So many seem to mumble.

Grace MooreLinker

tone levels lost in your hearing.