Evan Charles Grolley, AU.D.

That depends on what is causing the hearing problem. There are a few health conditions (things like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, stroke) and medications (chemotherapy drugs, some diuretics, aspirin) that can cause either temporary or progressive hearing problems, so he should see a physician to address any of those problems and get a referral to an audiologist or otolaryngologist. If it's determined that the hearing loss is idiopathic or just due to aging, hearing aids can help mitigate the effects of the hearing loss but will not slow its progress. You'll probably want to get hearing aids that are adaptable for more severe hearing losses, like receiver-in-canal (RIC) styles, so the speaker can be changed out for a more powerful one if his hearing continues to worsen.

Ringing in the ears is often a symptom of hearing loss. The brain creates phantom sensations when we acquire sensory impairments. For example, people who lose a limb feel like it's still present - sometimes it even hurts or itches - which has been labeled "phantom limb syndrome." This ringing usually worsens in quiet environments because there's no external stimulus to distract from the internal phantom sound. It becomes a real problem that needs to be addressed when the ringing starts to interfere with sleep or concentration, creates stress or anxiety, or impacts your normal daily life. Most people notice significant improvement during the day by using hearing aids to give the brain back some of the sound that it's been missing. At night, using a sound machine with steady sounds (think static noise, fan humming, water running, etc.) helps most people mask out the tinnitus so they can sleep better.

There are many potential causes of hearing issues in children. The nationwide newborn hearing screening program is aimed at finding children born with hearing problems so they can get the help they need prior to language development, and identifying those with "red flag" issues that require additional monitoring (ex: suspected syndrome, family history of hearing loss in childhood, use of certain medications). If his newborn hearing screening was normal and he does not have any "red flag" issues (you can check with his pediatrician for a complete list), it's most likely that he has an ear infection or fluid in his ears.

Sound levels at concerts can definitely exceed what are considered safe volumes to listen to. Depending on how long you are exposed to the sound, and how loud the sound is, it does have the potential to damage your hearing. If you have a smart phone, try downloading the NIOSH Sound Level Meter (SLM) app. You can use this app to measure how loud the sound is. Regular and prolonged exposure to sounds at 85 dB(A) are considered potentially hazardous (that's if you're listening for about 8 hours). The louder the noise, the less time you can be exposed to it before it is considered hazardous.

Over 98% of the time, tinnitus is a subjective sensation, meaning there is no way for a health professional to objectively verify that you are having that issue. There are many questionnaires geared toward quantifying the impact that tinnitus is having on you (ex: Tinnitus Functional Index, Tinnitus and Hearing Survey). There are also measurements that an audiologist can perform to assess various aspects of your tinnitus (pitch and loudness matching, residual inhibition, etc.). It is normal to have some tinnitus, especially in quiet environments, but it is a problem that needs to be addressed when it starts to interfere with sleep on concentration, causes anxiety or depression, or effects your relationships with friends and family.

Everyone has ear wax and there's no set schedule of when it should be removed for each person. The only time wax needs to be removed is if it is plugging your ear canal, which your primary care physician should be able to assess. Many primary care doctors remove ear wax in their offices and, if not, they will refer you to an otolaryngologist. There are also many over-the-counter solutions to help soften the ear wax and make it easier for your doctor to remove.

If you notice difficulty understanding normal conversational speech or have been told by friends or family that you ask for repetition too frequently, those may be signs that your hearing is deteriorating. The most important thing is not to wait - if you notice a problem, go get a test. Most people wait 6-8 years after they start noticing a problem before they get a hearing test, and by that point it becomes very difficult to adapt to hearing aids if they need them.

It may be more of a listening issue than a hearing issue. Listening intently does require a great deal of energy and many people find that they have a harder time understanding verbal information toward the end of the day when they are more fatigued. This effect tends to be exaggerated in people who have hearing difficulty and have to concentrate more to understand throughout the day.

In most cases, ringing in the ears is a symptom of hearing difficulty and can be alleviated by using hearing aids to give the brain back some of the sound that it's been missing. There is no medication to cure ringing in the ears. However, when it's accompanied by other symptoms like headaches, it may be due to some other potentially treatable medical condition and should be evaluated by an otolaryngologist.