One of the indicators of high-frequency hearing loss is the inability to hear women’s and children’s voice clearly. Women’s and children’s voices have a higher frequency than men’s voices – 165 to 255 Hz, as opposed to 85 to 180 Hz for men. Additionally, women’s and children’s voices generally have a lower amplitude (meaning, they are softer), so you may hear them at a different volume than men’s voices. The way to find out for sure is to make an appointment with one of our specialists and allow them to test your hearing to see what the problem may be.
You are far from alone if your condition is high-frequency hearing loss, because it is the most common type of hearing loss. There are many possible causes; among the possibilities are aging, exposure to loud noises, certain diseases and certain drugs. The good news is that high-frequency hearing loss can generally be counteracted with technology.
Digitial Hearing Aids
Digital hearing aids are an effective treatment option because their sophisticated electronics allow the aids to be adjusted or programmed to “favor” one set of frequencies over another. For people with high-frequency hearing loss, the digital hearing aid raises the volume of high-frequency (high-pitched) sounds more than it raises the volume of the lower-frequency (low-pitched) sounds. Another treatment option is the use of open-fit hearing aids, which leave your ear canal open or partially open, so that low-frequency and mid-frequency sounds enter the ear normally, and only the high-frequency sounds are amplified. The third option for very severe cases of high-frequency hearing loss is a cochlear implant. This is a more expensive solution because the implantation procedure requires minor surgery, but it can be effective in the treatment of conditions such as nerve deafness and industrial deafness.
But the first step to finding a solution to your hearing problem is to have an examination and allow our specialists to determine what the nature of it actually is. Your hearing exam could reveal that your high-frequency hearing loss is caused by a treatable blockage such as a build up of ear wax and can be easily corrected.So rather than worry about why you are having trouble hearing women’s and children’s voices, do something about it by scheduling an appointment with a trained hearing specialist.