Hearing loss associated with aging presents unique challenges. Communication difficulties can lead to social isolation, depression, confinement at home, and in severe cases, dementia. To enhance quality of life, it is vital to address these issues before they escalate.

The common age-related hearing loss, known as "presbycusis," is caused by prolonged exposure to loud sounds. Diagnosing hearing loss in its early stages allows doctors to educate patients about behaviors that may worsen the condition and suggest preventive measures. This early intervention also enables the initiation of treatment before hearing loss advances. Early treatment, involving regular use of suitable hearing aids, can prevent the auditory pathways and cortical centers from becoming lazy due to lack of stimulation and mitigate irreversible speech discrimination decline. By addressing hearing loss proactively, individuals may maximize the benefits of hearing aids in later years when the loss becomes apparent. Hence, undergoing a hearing test at the age of 65 is crucial.

I often stress to my patients the importance of maintaining good hearing for a high-quality old age. Ignoring the issue and avoiding hearing aids can reduce the gain that devices may offer once the hearing loss worsens over time. In the case of profound hearing loss with significantly reduced speech discrimination, even top-tier devices may fail to satisfy patients, resulting in incomprehensible sounds—similar to increasing the volume on television with poor signal quality.

Tinnitus, the unwanted neural activity of the understimulated auditory pathways/cortex, usually accompanies age-related sensorineural hearing loss. It can be more disturbing than the hearing loss itself and very challenging to treat. Unfortunately, current medical practice does not offer a simple drug-based cure for tinnitus. Instead, efforts are made to alleviate the anxiety and concerns about tinnitus, patients are advised to avoid loud noises, and habituation exercises are employed to train the brain to ignore. Since the condition is caused by under-stimulation, proper use of hearing aids is usually highly effective for tinnitus.