What does hearing loss mean? 

This scale shows different levels of hearing loss (HL).

Normal hearing (<25dB HL)

 

Mild (26-40dB HL)

You have trouble hearing or understanding soft speech and whispers, or speech over background noise

 

Moderate (41-55 dB HL)

You have trouble hearing or understanding regular speech up close or regular speech in a quiet office environment

 

Moderately severe (56-70 dB HL)

You have trouble hearing or understanding everyday conversations or a telephone ringing

 

Severe (71-90 dB HL)

You can only hear loud sounds such as very loud speech, sirens or a door slamming

 

Profound (90+ dB HL)

You have trouble hearing sounds such as a motorbike or power tools

 

The degree of hearing loss is an important factor when choosing a hearing aid. Not all hearing aids will suit all degrees of hearing loss. Read more about this in the Hearing Aids section.

An audiogram is a visual representation of your hearing. During the hearing test, your hearing healthcare professional will plot the results into the audiogram.

This is a typical audiogram for a person with normal hearing:

And this is a typical audiogram for a person with age-related hearing loss:

Your hearing healthcare professional uses the data from your audiogram to determine if you might benefit from hearing instruments or if other medical treatment may be appropriate.