Ever heard of presbycusis, or is everyone mumbling so much that you don’t hear much of anything? If it’s the latter, you may suffer from the former, which translates to age-related hearing loss.

Ashley Dockens, a doctor of audiology extern at Moore Hearing, has spent years learning about presbycusis and other hearing problems. Originally earning her degree in speech pathology, she switched after spending a week observing an audiologist at work.

“I was hooked and have been ever since.” she said. “Seeing patients who have had hearing difficulties for so long, and you put that hearing aid on and it’s practically instantaneous that they are hearing better.”

According to Dockens, age-related hearing loss may have many causes, such as noise-related damage, genetic problems, long-term infections, wax buildup or certain medications, including some for cancer treatment and even heavy doses of aspirin. Most commonly, it arises from changes in the inner ear as a person ages.

She switched on her computer to show big, colorful graphics that demonstrate the hearing process, from sound coming down the ear canal, bouncing on the ear drum, moving through the bones of the middle ear to the inner ear and then via a nerve to the brain.

“Typically what we see is inside the cochlea snail shape, we have all these hair cells dying off that are what send that signal to the brain,” Dockens said. “There are thousands of them and, over time, they just really become damaged, and that’s what’s permanent. We can’t bring them back.”

No surgery or implants work to fix this type of hearing decline. It may begin early in the prime of life.

“Actually, with men, it can begin as early as 33,” she said. “For women, it’s usually after 36.

“But we really don’t see it predominantly until later 40s, early 50s. Then up in the mid to late 60s, people see the bigger effects of hearing loss.”

Because loss of hearing occurs so gradually, family members tend to notice first. They may complain about the volume of the radio or television or find themselves acting as interpreters.

Laura Hunt, patient care coordinator at Moore Hearing, said people may start withdrawing from activities such as going to church, playing cards or going to restaurants because not hearing well has become embarrassing and frustrating.

Dockens said people may not realize why they are withdrawing at first.

“They think they don’t like noise, so they don’t go to eat at a restaurant anymore,” she said. “But really, they can’t have a good conversation in noise so it’s not fun anymore. It’s usually become a pretty big problem before they come in and see someone like us.”

Hunt said she was an example of someone who was unaware of hearing loss. Even though she is still young, she said that she spoke too loudly on the phone and kept asking her husband to repeat himself.

“We tested, and on paper I was normal, but I said I’m really not normal because I’m struggling,” she said.

“I got fit with aids and it’s helped quite a bit. It’s tiny, behind the ear. It’s nearly invisible.”

Although some people retain excellent hearing into old age, Dockens said most lose some, especially in the high pitches. They may notice problems with women’s and children’s voices.

“They feel like they are still hearing but not necessarily still understanding speech any longer,” she said. “If you find yourself thinking that everyone is mumbling, that might be a good time to go in and have your hearing checked out.”

Moore Hearing provides free hearing evaluations that include an interview, ear health check, several hearing tests and then a treatment plan. Dockens encourages people to have an evaluation as soon as they notice a problem.

She explains that we actually hear with our brain, not our ears.

“If you go without aids, you can undergo something called auditory deprivation,” Dockens said. “Those signals your hearing is missing are no longer sent to the brain. After a while, your brain says that’s not important and moves on to something else.”

With aids, speech understanding is preserved if not improved. She added that it’s never too late to seek hearing help but the adaptation time, if they need hearing aids, may take longer.

Hunt and Dockens refer to today’s sophisticated hearing aids with computer chips as an investment in quality of life. Dockens said the devices advertised on television and magazines for little money function like a microphone.

“The hearing loss of most people we see are not needing volume — they are needing clarity,” she said. “They will only make it louder and not give you the understanding you are hoping for.”

Sophisticated hearing aids let professionals adjust pitches, decibel levels and other variables to adapt to each individual’s hearing deficit. In just the last 10 years, Dockens said, hearing devices have made huge advances to become much smaller and more discreet.

She said the future may hold medical procedures to regenerate the damaged and loss hair cells of the inner ear to prevent inner ear hearing loss. But Dockens said that solution remains years into the future.

“We can’t correct the hearing loss, but we can help the hearing loss,” she said. “We can improve the listening experience people have on a daily basis.”

For more information, call 257-2273 or visit the website www.moorehearing.net.