Have you ever had a misunderstanding when communicating with someone else? Everyone has; misunderstandings in communication are a common occurrence. You may misunderstand what someone else is saying for a variety of reasons, from background noise to just not paying attention.

People with high-frequency hearing loss, however, have greater difficulty hearing or understanding anything within the 2,000 to 8,000 Hertz range. Female voices often fall in this range, so sometimes it becomes more difficult for people with high-frequency hearing loss to understand female communication. They may also have trouble hearing high-pitched noises like beeping machinery or birds singing.

High-frequency hearing loss is the result of damage of the sensory hearing cells in the inner ear or cochlea. Tiny hair cells in the cochlea serve to render sound from the outside world into electrical impulses that our brains can then recognize as understandable sounds. When a person suffers from hearing loss, they typically have trouble with higher frequencies before lower frequencies.

What Causes High-Frequency Hearing Loss?

Many things can cause high-frequency hearing loss, and people of all ages can be affected. When children suffer from high-frequency hearing loss, it can disturb learning by hindering communication and speech development, and hamper learning in school.

  • Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is when a person is exposed to dangerous levels of noise every day. It can also be the result of exposure to a very loud noise, such as a gunshot or explosion, one time. Noise levels over 85 decibels on an ongoing basis can also result in NIHL. It is estimated that more than 10 million Americans have suffered irreversible hearing damage due to NIHL.
  • As we age, hearing loss called presbycusis can occur. This damage occurs slowly and affects both ears equally, so it can be hard to notice until it has progressed to a serious level. Signs of presbycusis begin with an inability to understand communication in loud environments.
  • Certain diseases, such as Meniere’s disease can affect the inner ear and may result in fluctuating hearing loss or vertigo. Chronic ear infections in children, if left untreated, can also result in permanent hearing damage.
  • High frequency hearing loss can also be passed down through genes, so if you have family members who have suffered, it is possible you are genetically predisposed to this problem.
  • Some over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, are ototoxic, which means they can damage hearing. Drugs used in chemotherapies and aminoglycoside antibiotics can also be harmful.

Is high-frequency hearing loss curable?

High-frequency hearing loss is permanent, but it is often preventable. It is critical to protect your ears when there is exposure to dangerous levels of noise—especially if it is louder than 85 decibels. Live concerts, working around machinery, riding loud motorcycles or snowmobiles, or going to the shooting range can expose you to noise louder than 85 decibels.. Even listening to music too loud can eventually result in high frequency hearing loss! Noise-cancelling headphones as well as ear plugs can be helpful in mitigating this noise and damage to your hearing.

What are my treatment options?

Though high-frequency hearing loss is not reversible, it can be corrected in many cases with hearing aids. If you think you may have some level of hearing loss, schedule a hearing screening with an audiologist right away to prevent further damage.
