4 Signs You Should See an Audiologist

Audiologists are often underrepresented in the medical world. However, they’re akin to optometrists and dentists; they’re experts in their fields and can provide valuable information and examinations to help with those areas of our body. They have an incredibly good understanding of the human ear and they know how it works, why it works but also the problems that we could run into as a result of damage to the ear.

Audiologists are very knowledgeable people, but many of us don’t see the signs of when we should see an audiologist or we might not even realize what they can help us with. So to help you out, we’ve put together four signs that you’ll notice when you need to see an audiologist.

1. You’ve been experiencing tinnitus problems

Tinnitus is described as a ringing or buzzing in the ears and it’s often something that you would see an audiologist about. This is because tinnitus is typically caused by an issue with the nerves in your ears and an audiologist can help you examine the potential causes with several different tests. However, tinnitus is often a symptom that you can’t simply erase even if you can find the root cause of it. This is when tinnitus retraining therapy, or a similar process, can come in handy to help you gradually phase the tinnitus out. Audiologists will help you understand the symptom and give you a proper solution to help deal with it.

2. You’ve experienced a sudden or gradual loss of hearing

Be it a gradual hearing loss that is happening over time or something sudden, it’s vital that you see your audiologist if you’re suffering hearing loss. They’ll help you determine the cause of the hearing loss while also helping you cope with it by using advanced hearing aids with a number of unique new features. These hearing aids will help you restore your hearing so that you can once again hear with full ability.

3. Your ears are hurting due to an earwax impaction or just need cleaning in general

Far too many people still use cotton buds to clean their ears and this can lead to impacted earwax. This is when earwax builds up inside of the ear, causing a lot of pain, discomfort and potential hearing loss. An audiologist is an expert at removing earwax and they’ll use special tools to suck out and dispose of the wax that has accumulated in your ears without using harsh chemicals or DIY tools that could make it worse.

4. You need hearing protection recommendations

Lastly, you should also see an audiologist should you require hearing protection. Hearing protection can vary from occupation to occupation but it generally follows the same principle. The only exceptions are if you need to listen to something while using hearing protection, such as having built-in technology to allow you to hear music or if you need large and comfortable ear muffs for a cold night working outside on a construction site.