Medical Questions » Ears Questions » Question No. 293
| Question: | Why do old people like me go deaf? My television is now so loud my neighbours are complaining. |
| Answer: | The gradual decrease in hearing associated with advancing age is the most common form of deafness. This is basically due to thickening of the ear drum, wear and tear on the tiny bones that conduct the vibrations of the ear drum to the hearing apparatus in the inner ear, and a loss of sensitivity in the spiral tube that senses the vibrations, and turns them into nerve impulses in the brain.
The higher frequencies of sound disappear first, and this cuts out a lot of our hearing discrimination, so that conversation in a noisy room melts into a constant blur of sound.
Medication and surgery play no part in the treatment of this condition, but hearing aids are becoming more and more sophisticated in helping these people. You can also get special hearing aids that attach to televisions and radios. This may help both you and your neighbours.
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