4 Levels of Hearing Loss
• Mild Hearing Loss - Can’t hear anything softer than 25-40 dB. People with mild hearing loss cannot hear soft sounds, such as a ticking clock or a dripping fosset. They can follow one on one conversations, but may have trouble following conversation in louder places. This can normally be fixed by a hearing aid.
• Moderate Hearing Loss - Can’t hear anything softer than 40-75 dB. People with moderate hearing loss have difficulty following conversation, and can have trouble hearing things such as the phone ringing or a doorbell ringing. Depending on the health of the person their hearing can be improved by hearing aids, or in some cases middle ear implants.
• Serve Hearing Loss - Almost impossible to follow normal conversation without a hearing aid. While hearing aids can help, they are not efficient in improving hearing abilities by a lot. If appropriate, middle ear implants or cochlear implants can help.
• Profound Hearing Loss - Cannot hear sounds softer than 90-120 dB, and have difficulty hearing loud sounds such as airplane engines and fire alarms. People with profound hearing loss rely on mostly sign language or reading lips. Cochlear implants can help them hear better, with rehabilitation.
Being deaf is not limited to not being able to hear anything at all, there are different types, all of which deserve respect. Please remember that everyone is different, and these are just vague summaries!!
