In most cases this injury will not have been caused by a car accident however there is a significant proportion that is a direct result of motor vehicle collisions. Road traffic accidents are a major cause of traumatic injury and represent more than half of all cases handled by personal injury solicitors. If you have been injured in a car accident and you want to make a compensation claim for personal injury and loss just complete the contact form, email our offices or use the solicitor’s helpline. Our car accident compensation claim solicitors offer free advice without further obligation. If we deal with your claim it will be on a no win no fee basis, compensation is paid in full and you do not have to fund or finance your car accident compensation claim.
The kind of hearing loss you experience with age is called presbycusis and is very common. About a third of all individuals who are between the ages of 65 to 75 have presbycusis. About half of all of those above the age of 75 have some degree of presbycusis and hearing loss.
The main causes of hearing loss are hereditary factors and chronic loud noise exposure, although there are other reasons you can become deaf or hard of hearing. Earwax blockage can be a cause of temporary hearing loss. Most hearing loss is not reversible but there are treatments that can improve your hearing.
Presbycusis results in gradual hearing loss but there are causes of sudden hearing loss, such as a ruptured tympanic membrane due to a loud noise or pressure differential between the outer world and the middle ear.
Normal hearing results from sound waves vibrating the tympanic membrane and the tiny bones in the middle ear. These influence the small hair cells in the inner ear and, in turn, the otic nerve sends signals to the brain and we hear the sound. The three bones of the ear are called the anvil, hammer and stirrup. There are tiny hair cells in the inner ear that stimulate the otic nerve in various ways.
Hearing loss can be caused by something as simple as earwax buildup. The external auditory canal is blocked and sound can’t be transmitted to the tympanic membrane. Other types of hearing loss are the result of inner ear damage. If the hair cells are damaged, they cannot be replaced or repaired and they permanently affect the hearing loss. Hearing loss can be affected across all frequencies of sound or only on certain frequencies of sound. Prolonged exposure to loud noises or aging can cause wear and tear on the hair cells inside the cochlea or inner ear. Signals can’t be sent to the brain for processing. It is often higher pitched tones that are damaged first. Hereditary loss of the inner ear function can also cause deafness.
Risk factors for hearing loss includes advancing age, heredity, noises from occupational exposure, noises from recreational exposure such as loud motorcycle engines, loud concerts or listening to loud music and drugs, such as gentamycin, which can damage the inner ear. Certain chemotherapy drugs can do the same thing. Illnesses like meningitis or those with a high fever can cause loss of hearing which may be permanent.
Loss of hearing can affect your entire life and can lead to depression or anxiety from not being able to understand people. Paranoia can occur because you feel that people are always angry with you. Many people live with hearing loss for a long period of time before asking for treatment. Some never seek treatment at all and suffer with lifelong hearing loss. Much of the problem is denial of the symptoms.
Getting treatment for loss of hearing can improve your self esteem and self confidence, it can make you feel closer to loved ones and can improve your overall outlook on life. Family and friends will be happier once the hearing loss is treated because they can be assured of being listened to and understood.
Tests are available to test for hearing loss. An otoscope examination can check for ear wax or tympanic membrane rupture. Doctors can use simple tuning forks to check for hearing difficulties at various frequencies. The gold standard is the audiometry examination, which involves listening with headphones to different intensities and frequencies of sound. A graph is then made of the hearing ability at the various frequencies. This can determine which type of hearing aid to use.
Treatment includes removing ear wax, repairing the tympanic membrane and using hearing aids. Hearing aids amplify sound and allow you to hear things you couldn’t hear before. Severe hearing loss can be treated with a cochlear implant, which is a surgically implanted devise that compensates for the lack of activity of the inner ear. Not everyone is a candidate for a cochlear implant.
If you have suffered physically, mentally or financially, you should consider making an accident compensation claim. For free telephone advice from specialist personal injury solicitors just call the helpline. Our lawyers will assess the strength of your claim and will advise you on your potential award of compensation without any further obligation.