Get your hearing checked
Ask about a hearing test at your yearly checkup, especially if you work around noise or notice signs of hearing loss.
- How often
- Yearly
- Time
- 30 min
- Recommended for
- 14 factors
How to do it
- At your yearly checkup, tell your doctor about noise at work or in your hobbies, and ask whether you need a hearing test.
- Watch for signs: sounds seem muffled, you struggle to follow conversation in noisy rooms or on the phone, you turn the TV up, or you hear ringing or buzzing.
- Try NIDCD's 10-question self-check. Answering yes to two or more questions is a reason to get tested.
- A primary care doctor, an ear, nose and throat doctor (otolaryngologist) or an audiologist can test your hearing.
- If your job exposes you to loud noise, ask whether your employer offers hearing tests.
Why it helps
Hearing loss usually creeps in slowly, so people often don't notice it. About 1 in 3 people in the US aged 65 to 74 has hearing loss, and nearly half of those over 75. It can make conversation hard and lead to isolation. Hearing aids, including over-the-counter ones for mild to moderate loss, can help.
Be careful
Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears needs prompt medical attention. Don't wait for a routine appointment.
Recommended for
Airline pilot
Long seated duty days across time zones and through the night.
occupationAssembly line worker
The same motions, hundreds of times an hour, at the pace of the line.
occupationCall center agent
Headset on, calls back to back, timed and monitored.
occupationConstruction worker
Heavy loads, heights, noise, dust and weather, every day.
occupationFarmer
Dawn-to-dusk physical work outdoors, around machines and animals.
occupationFirefighter
Extreme heat, heavy gear, smoke, sleepless shifts and traumatic calls.
habitHeavy smartphone use
Head down, thumbs busy, screen inches from your face for hours a day.
hobbyHunting
Gunfire, tree stands, cold dawns and heavy hauls out of the woods.
occupationLandscaper
Mowing, digging and lifting outdoors in every kind of weather.
occupationMusician
Hours of practice, loud stages, late nights and an instrument to hold.
hobbyPlaying guitar
Hours of fretting, strumming and holding an awkward posture.
occupationPolice officer
Long shifts in a patrol car, heavy gear and moments of high stress.
occupationWelder
Fumes, sparks, UV light and awkward positions.
hobbyWoodworking
Spinning blades, loud machines and fine dust in the air.