Hearing Loss in Everyday Life

Hearing loss can range from mild to profound:

• Mild Hearing Loss
  Someone suffering from mild hearing loss is likely to hear some speech sounds but may find it difficult to hear softer communication. Those with this level of hearing loss are unable to hear sounds between 20dB and 40dB.
• Moderate Hearing Loss
  An individual with moderate hearing loss usually can’t hear any oral communication when someone is speaking at a normal level. One experiencing this level of hearing loss is unable to hear sounds between 41dB and 70dB.

Severe Hearing Loss A person that’s experiencing severe hearing loss is unable to hear sounds such as loud conversations or noise from traffic. This individual cannot hear sounds softer than 70-90dB.

• Profound Hearing Loss
  A person with severe hearing loss will hear no speech when a person is talking at a normal level and will only hear he occasional loud noise. Those suffering from profound hearing loss are unable to hear any sound below 95dB.

This graph shows which sounds can or cannot be heard depending on the degree of hearing loss. For example, someone with a severe hearing loss can hear an airplane or a motorbike close-by. (Very loud, hence lower end of the graph) However they will not be able to hear normal-level speech or birdsong.

Frequency and Amplitude of a Variety of Common Sounds

A bird tweet is a high-pitched tone, therefore on the right of the graph; low-pitched tones are on the left.