"HOW MUCH HEARING LOSS DO I
HAVE?"

Those with a mild hearing loss (26-45 dB range) typically hear one-on-one conversations if they can see the speaker's face and are listening at close range. With a mild hearing loss, individuals may have difficulty hearing and understanding someone who is speaking from a distance or has a soft voice. Understanding conversation in noisy backgrounds may be difficult, as well. Unfortunately, in young children even a mild hearing loss can have serious effects on speech and language development.

With a moderate hearing loss (45-65 dB range) conversational levels of speech are difficult to hear and understand, even in quiet backgrounds. Listening with background noise is extremely difficult.

Individuals experiencing a severe hearing loss (66-85 dB range) will find that hearing is difficult in all situations. Speech may only be heard if a speaker is talking loudly or at close range. Those with a profound hearing loss may not even register loud speech or environmental sounds. In fact, they may not use hearing at all as their primary method of communicating.
 
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