DCC Archive How to test one's hearing

Speaking of hearing loss/damage, is there anyway to guage how degraded one's hearing has become?

Taking in consideration the number of concerts, clubs, bars, etc. I've been to, having played in a band in high school, and having been a former member of my high school's drumline (spent many weekday afternoons in a small room with 4 other drummers, practicing on loud, Kevlar snare drum heads); I'm almost certain my hearing has degraded a bit, but to what extent?

Would an old-fashioned, grade school hearing test be sufficient ("whenever you hear a tone, raise your hand")?

 

Certainly a professional would be able to tell you, but he'd charge professional fees. There are a number of online hearing tests--I just found a couple easily with a search engine. The tests are pretty basic. This one needs you to have Quicktime:
http://weinstein.cncfamily.com/AAI/

 

I also worry about my hearing. I was a drummer in a rock and roll band in high school and college with stacks of Fender Dual Showman amps behind me. Since I live in Chicago, I have attended many, many live concerts.

This is my question to you. When you are laying in bed at night and things are very quite, do your ears ring? Mine do. In fact, My ears ring all the time. Usually, I can ignore the ringing. But sometimes it bothers me. Last year, my wife and I went on vacation to Colorado. One night we were outside and everything was very quite. Eileen said to me, "Isn't it amazing how quite it is?" I said to myself, "Isn't it amazing how loud (my ringing ears)it is. "
I wish I listened to my mom when she used to tell me, "Turn down the volume. You will be sorry some day."

Talk to your doctor about a hearing test. I am sure that he can recommend a specialist.

 

Thanks for the response. Sometimes, when it's really quiet, I try listening for that ringing, but when I'm indoors, it's tough to tell. I'll lay in bed at night, and think I hear something (not exactly ringing, but some sort of noise), but if I turn or rotate my head into a different position, the noise changes. If I'm sleeping on my side with one ear in the pillow, there seems to be some sort of ringing coming in that buried ear, but once I left my head off that pillow, most of that drops away.

Another thing is that I've always noticed hearing a noise of some sort ever since I was a kid, long before being exposed to any prolonged, loud sounds, so it's tough to judge if I've always heard the same thing, if I'm now hearing something else, or still the same thing but louder.

I don't want to sound like a hypochondriac, but I'm sure you all understand.

thanks

 

I have noticed that when I get stressed out or pissed off, that my ears ring more than usual. I guess I should have my blood pressure checked!

Seriously, I can tell when my blood pressure goes up from the pressure and ringing in my ears.

Tony

 

If you have to go through that much trouble to induce a tiny bit of ringing then you're in good shape. I know what loud ringing is--it's an occupational hazard. Last week we went to LOTR and the vol. was up so high that after ten min. my ears began to hurt. It was either stuff my ears with napkins or walk out. I was pissed!