Presbycusis (age-related hearing loss) is the most common reason people lose their hearing. Symptoms include having trouble hearing conversations and turning up the volume on the television, cell phones and tablets. There’s no cure for presbycusis, but using hearing aids may improve your hearing.
Presbycusis (prez-buh-KYOO-sis) is hearing loss that develops gradually as you get older. It’s the most common cause of hearing loss worldwide and affects 2 out of 3 people in the U.S. age 70 or older. The medical term comes from the Greek words for elderly (presby-) and hearing (akousis). Right now, there’s no cure for age-related hearing loss, but using hearing aids may help to improve hearing.
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The most obvious symptom is not being able to hear as well as you used to. Presbycusis symptoms develop gradually. You may be developing age-related hearing loss if you:
Presbycusis is a type of sensorineural hearing loss, or hearing loss that happens when something damages your inner ear. Risk factors for presbycusis include:
Research suggests there’s a relationship between some medical conditions and age-related hearing loss, including:
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Presbycusis does more than take away your ability to hear. If you have trouble hearing, you may feel anxious about talking to others because you strain to understand what they’re saying. Research shows having presbycusis increases your risk of developing:
Diagnosis may include:
Your audiologist’s diagnosis may include details about the type of presbycusis that you have. The type you have depends on specific damage to your inner ear. To understand presbycusis types, it may help to know more about your inner ear structure and how hearing works:
The types of presbycusis include:
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The most common presbycusis treatment is to use hearing aids. Hearing aids amplify sounds and deliver them to your ear. However, hearing aids can’t cure presbycusis or restore lost hearing.
No, the treatment is the same for all types of presbycusis. But diagnosing presbycusis type is one way your provider can predict the impact that age-related hearing loss will have on your life. For example, neural presbycusis affects your ability to understand what people are saying (speech discrimination).
Presbycusis is a common kind of hearing loss that happens as you age. You can’t prevent it, but there are things you can do that may slow down hearing loss or reduce your risk of developing severe presbycusis:
Presbycusis is a progressive condition, meaning it gets worse over time. But you can manage hearing loss with hearing aids. Most people with age-related hearing loss can manage their condition.
Hearing aids will help you to hear better, but your hearing won’t come back. Living with hearing loss can be challenging even if you’re using hearing aids. Here are some suggestions for managing presbycusis:
You’ll probably need annual checkups so your audiologist can do hearing tests to see if your hearing loss is getting worse. Contact your audiologist if you notice you’re having issues hearing even when you wear your hearing aids.
If hearing tests show you have presbycusis, asking the following questions may help you understand how hearing loss may affect you:
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Presbycusis (age-related hearing loss) is part of growing older that happens gradually. You may notice that your hearing is getting worse if you need to ask people to repeat themselves or you find that you’re cranking up the volume on your television to understand dialogue. You can’t prevent presbycusis, but protecting your hearing may slow down how quickly you develop presbycusis. If you notice changes in your hearing, talk to a healthcare provider. They’ll assess your situation and recommend next steps, including hearing tests.
Last reviewed on 02/15/2024.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy