Why Can I Hear But Not Understand?

There are several types of hearing loss caused by a variety of conditions and circumstances. Barring anything medically treatable, the most common type of hearing loss amongst the group is nerve damage, particularly in the high frequencies or high pitched range of sound often with normal hearing in the lower frequencies.

This type of loss is called high frequency, or sensorineural, hearing loss. The nerves in the inner ear, known as the cochlea, begin to die off due to the aging process similar in nature to macular degeneration of the eye. There are many reasons for this occurrence. Some of the most common causes are genetic predisposition (family history), exposure to loud sound from either one traumatic event or continuous exposure over long periods like military service or industrial environs, a vast array of medications and other chemicals, some childhood illnesses and some adult illnesses acquired by the mother while pregnant like measles.

Regardless of cause, the common thread is the symptom of the condition. There is a myriad of symptoms so let’s take a look at the most often experienced.

• Patients complain that they can hear a speaker but do not catch all the words. In many instances, words are confused with like sounding words and so patients may answer questions incorrectly because they heard the question differently.
• Patients withdraw from conversation altogether due to embarrassment and potentially become social recluses which can be a stepping stone to isolation and depression.
• Patients complain that people mumble and don’t speak as clearly as they used to.
• Patients ask people to repeat themselves to get a second chance at hearing correctly.
• Patients find conversation much easier face-to-face especially in a quiet setting.
• Patients have great difficulty in noisy settings like dining rooms or restaurants.
• Patients will have a tendency to speak loader than normal and were probably told so.
• Patients were told they play the T.V. too loud.
• Patients miss the ringing of the phone and/or door chime.
• Patients exhibit the same problems on the telephone.

So, what is the root cause for all of these symptoms? Believe it or not, it’s the alphabet and the way words are constructed utilizing it. High frequency loss produces the inability to hear soft, high pitch sounds so let’s investigate why this is an issue.