My daughter was diagnosed with mild/moderate hearing loss at 5. She had bilateral hearing aids until she was 10 when, at her regular appointment, they discharged her saying that her hearing had improved.
The explanation given at the time was that she still had mild loss at some frequencies but at most her hearing was at the lower end of the normal range.
They explained that it wasn't worth aiding her anymore because her hearing loss was so mild that it wouldn't really affect her and any hearing aids would need to be tuned to compensate for the physical barrier of the hearing aids so not worth it.
Mild loss isn't automatically aided so we didnt qiestion it.
Anyway, she told me a few weeks ago that she had booked a hearing test. She said that, over the past couple of years she'd been more aware of it socially and at work.
The result?
Moderate hearing loss. None of her hearing is in the normal range. And it ranges between the lower end of mild loss to moderately severe.
She sent me the audiogram and it followed the same pattern as the ones she'd had when younger.
Firstly, I'm baffled that the audiologist discharged her from the hospital 8 years ago saying it was all fine. I just don't know how they got it so wrong.
And secondly, I don't really know how I feel about her having spent 8 years not being able to hear properly and not realising! Obviously, she found her own ways of coping but. It was a shock.
They've told her she needs to be permanently aided. We're not bothered by that but how was it missed??
It probably explains why the TV was always so loud though!