Hearing loss isn’t always easy to detect. Symptoms often develop gradually and your brain learns to adapt, so you might not even notice there is anything wrong until your condition has advanced. Most of the time friends and family will first notice the loss. Learning to recognize the signs early will improve your odds of successful treatment.

Signs of hearing loss include:

1. People seem to mumble when they speak

2. You often ask people to repeat themselves

3. You experience tinnitus (ringing in your ears)

4. Others complain that you are watching TV or listening to music too loudly

5. You are unable to hear everyday household sounds (e.g., ringing doorbell)

6. You have trouble following conversations in a large group setting, especially when background noise is present

7. You have difficulty hearing when you are not facing the speaker

8. You have trouble understanding every word in a conversation

9. Telephone conversations are difficult for you to follow

10. Others accuse you of speaking too loudly